The Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2023) is set to take place from 9 to 15 November 2023 in Cairo, Egypt. In preparation for this major event, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC), the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry, organised a high-level trade roadshow in Cairo.
According to Afreximbank's Executive Vice President, Kanayo Awani, the roadshow aims to equip the business community with vital information about the IATF, emphasising its importance for Africa's transformation and integration objectives. The initiative also seeks to mobilise the Egyptian business community to actively participate in IATF2023 in Cairo.
For Grace Khoza, representing the AfCFTA Secretariat, the IATF serves as a crucial platform for connecting Africans and fostering intra-African trade. Khoza noted that it is essential for Africans to become more familiar with the products manufactured across different regions of the continent that could be traded elsewhere within Africa.
The delegation, comprising business leaders, diplomats, high-ranking government officials, and representatives from Afreximbank, the AUC, and the AfCFTA Secretariat, focused on exploring how IATF contributes to enhancing trade and investment opportunities between Egypt and the broader African market.
The IATF itself is designed to facilitate the exchange of trade and investment information, thereby supporting the growth of intra-African trade in the context of the AfCFTA Agreement.
Under the theme "Promoting trade and investment between Egypt and Africa within the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)", the roadshow and media launch were preceded by the 6th meeting of the IATF2023 Advisory Board. The board meeting, chaired by Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria, reviewed preparations for the event. Organisers reported satisfactory progress in all aspects of the fair, including the exhibition, conferences, IATF Virtual, the African Motor Show, the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) programme, the AU programme for young start-ups, and various other activities like country days, diaspora day, and business-to-business and business-to-government meetings.