Algeria, the host of this year’s edition of the Intra-Africa Trade Fair (IATF), has assured the event organisers’ Advisory Council that it is ready to host the continental exhibition.
This came out of the IATF Advisory Council meeting held in the Algerian capital, Algiers last weekend to discuss the host country’s state of preparedness for the trade fair, which is slated for 4 to 10 September.
The meeting was attended by the Advisory Council’s Deputy Chairman, Jean-Loius Ekra, the African Import and Export Bank (Afreximbank) President and Chairman, Professor Benedict Oramah, Algerian Minister of External Trade and Export Promotion, Mohamed Boukhari, the African Union Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry, and Minerals, Albert Muchanga and the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) representative, Kanayo Awani.
The IATF organisers indicated that the council was happy with the progress made in preparing for the exhibition.
“The Advisory Council was pleased with the progress and reaffirmed its commitment to making IATF2025 a transformative platform for African trade and investment,” the organisers said.
Algeria expressed its commitment to ensure excellent stakeholder experiences during the event. .
“Honourable Boukhari highlighted Algeria’s readiness to host, ensuring the smooth facilitation of visas, customs, and other logistics to provide an excellent experience for all participants,” said the organisers.
The IATF is an initiative of the Afreximbank and the African Union. Its aim is to promote the AfCFTA initiative through bringing together African countries using the continental exhibition and other initiatives. The inaugural edition of the IATF was held in Cairo, Egypt in 2018, while the second was hosted by South Africa in 2021. Egypt hosted the biennial event again in 2023. During the last three editions, the event has hosted more than 4 500 exhibitors and hosted over 70 000 visitors from more than 100 countries.