Intra-African Trade Fair 2023: Côte d’Ivoire Signs Hosting Agreement

The Republic of Côte d’Ivoire has signed the hosting agreement for the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2023), which officially confers it as the host of IATF2023.

The agreement which took place in Abidjan was between Côte d’Ivoire , African Export Import Bank (Afreximbank), the African Union (AU) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the IATF2023 will be the third edition of the African continent’s premier trade and investment event.

This follows the resoundingly successful second edition held in November 2021 in Durban, South Africa, and realised over $42.1 billion in trade and investment deals, with 1501 exhibitors and over 32,500 attendees from 128 countries across Africa and beyond.

 President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank,Prof. Benedict Oramah, said “The IATF has become a platform for actualising the vision of the African continental Free Trade Agreement.

“It is opening up new trade routes, rapidly expanding knowledge of the continents trading environment and exposing our cultural heritage to our markets and faraway consumers.

“The combined $75 billion in deals sealed during the Durban  and Cairo trade fairs are reminders of the abundant intra-African trade  and investment potentials.

“They represent the remarkable trade and investment arrangements that wouldn’t have seen the light if not for the trade fair.’’

Citing instances of some of the successes as a result of the IATF, he said: “For instance, the Government of Malawi has expanded the market for his agricultural products to South Sudan and other African markets.

“Thanks to the bilateral government to government trade deals signed during the 2021 trade fair.

“It was at the 2018 Inter African trade fair that the $2.9 billion Rufiji  dam project was signed between the Government of Tanzania and Egyptian contractors, making it the largest ever intra-African  EPC contract.