The second edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2021), which was pencilled for September this year, has been moved to December. This was revealed in a media statement issued by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) on 22 March 2021.
The organisers of the continental event, the Afreximbank, its collaboration partner, African Union (AU) and the host, the Government of Rwanda, agreed to move the dates from 6 to 12 September 2021 to 8 to 14 December 2021 to allow for the ongoing roll out of COVID-19 roll out on the continent. It is envisaged that this would allow the trade fair to be held under safer conditions.
“The decision was made at the extraordinary meeting of the IATF2021 Advisory Council held virtually on 18 March 2021. The new date will enable organisers to take stock of all the latest safety precautions, allow for wider roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines and to put in place effective COVID-19 safety and prevention protocols,” read part of the statement.
The former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, who chairs the IATF2021 Advisory Council, indicated that the new date would give exhibitor countries and businesses more time to prepare for the trade fair.
“Our intent is that all participants garner the full benefits of the abundant networking, trade and investment opportunities that will arise at IATF2021. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a lot of enthusiasm for the event. The extra time given to preparatory activities and effective roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines will allow IATF2021 to be held under favourable conditions, giving more confidence to participating governments, exhibitors, buyers, conference delegates and other visitors,” said Obasanjo.
“IATF2021 will bring together continental and global players to showcase and exhibit their goods and services, and explore business and investment opportunities enabled by the single market created by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) to accelerate Africa’s integration and industrialisation agenda,” he said.
The IATF, which debuted in Cairo, Egypt, in 2018, is expected to play a crucial role in assisting and enabling businesses in Africa to share trade and market information and conclude business deals which support the implementation of the AfCFTA. The second edition of the continental bi-annual event was set to be held in September last year but it was postponed for one year to September this year.
