Registration opens for third Intra African Trade Fair (IATF2023) holding in Abidjan  

The advisory council of the Intra African Trade Fair (IATF) on Friday formally declared open registration for the third edition of the biennial trade fair (IATF2023) scheduled to take place in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivore. 

By Stephen Enoch

The week-long IATF is a flagship initiative aimed at boosting trade and investment in Africa, towards enhancing regional integration and delivering on the mandate of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). IATF is being hosted by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in collaboration with the African Union (AU) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat.

While addressing a press conference at the AfCFTA Secretariat in Accra, Ghana, to officially unveil Abidjan as the host city for IATF2023 and provide feedback on the second edition of IATF (IATF2021) held last November in Durban, South Africa, former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo cum chairperson of the IATF’s advisory council, described IATF2021 as a powerful and transformative push for Africa’s integration, one that also showcased the rich and diverse economies and cultures of the continent.

Obasanjo therefore said IATF was a crucial element of ongoing efforts aimed at righting Africa’s past wrongs, by breaking barriers and building bridges crucial for achieving continental integration, in accordance with the goals and targets of Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want. To this end, he said IATF2021 saw trade and investment deals worth more than $42bn signed within its weeklong timespan, describing the trade fair as a platform for showcasing the creativity and ingenuity of African youth and women entrepreneurs.

“We are proud to say IATF 2021 turned out to be a resounding success; it met and surpassed all projections. It epitomized what can be achieved if Africans come together to support the course of integration of the continent while believing in our capabilities as Africans to lead the drive for changing our socio economic situation. The successful hosting of the IATF 2021, despite the scourge of Covid-19 and its devastating impact on supply chains, clearly illustrated the determination and resilience of the African spirit,” he said

Ms Kanayo Awani, managing director of the IATF initiative at Afreximbank said IATF2021 attracted a total of 1501 exhibitors, against the targeted 1100 exhibitors, out of which a total of 1287 exhibited their products and services physically whereas the remaining 214 exhibited virtually. She added that out of the 1287 in-person exhibitors, 156 were from the creative industry and another 43 from the automotive industry while 77 were youth start-ups from across the continent who exhibited their products and services within the AU Youth Start-Up Pavilion.

“The bulk of the exhibitors were from agriculture, agro processing, manufacturing, construction, and pharmaceutical industries. In terms of the number of participating countries as exhibitors, we had a total of 69 countries; 46 of which were African countries. The overall number of participants was 32,541 people from 128 countries around the globe. A total of 542 deals were concluded in the course of the trade fair, at business-to-person (B2P), business to government (B2G) and government-to-government (G2G) levels. A total of $42.1bn worth of trade investment and financing deals were concluded,” recalls Awani.