- Africa’s biggest trade fair opens in Algiers with $44 billion in projected deals
- Nigeria named host of the 2027 edition, signalling its central role in African trade
ALGIERS, ALGERIA – Africa’s flagship trade and investment showcase, the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2025), has opened in Algiers with leaders urging deeper regional integration and stronger intra-African trade.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune told delegates the continent must boost trade flows, create jobs and shield economies from global shocks.
He highlighted Algeria’s role in regional projects, including the Trans-Sahara Road, an energy pipeline and optic fibre networks.
Hosted by Algeria, the weeklong event has drawn thousands of visitors and more than 2,000 exhibitors. Organisers – Afreximbank, the African Union Commission and the AfCFTA Secretariat – expect the fair to generate more than $44 billion in trade and investment deals.
Nigeria to take the baton in 2027
Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, chair of the IATF Advisory Council, announced that Nigeria will host the next edition in 2027.
“IATF is not just a trade fair – it is a journey across our continent and global Africa,” Obasanjo said, handing the host flag to Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Aduwole.
“Today, we continue this proud tradition by announcing Nigeria as the country that will host IATF2027.”
Nigeria will become the fourth country to host the fair since its launch in 2018, after Egypt, South Africa and Algeria. Previous editions have attracted over 70,000 participants and facilitated deals worth more than $118 billion.
Momentum for AfCFTA
IATF2025 is unfolding against a backdrop of rising intra-African trade. AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene said trade within Africa hit $220.3 billion in 2024, up 12.4% from the previous year.
“This recovery underscores growing confidence in Africa’s integration model under the AfCFTA,” Mene said. He pointed to rising trade in machinery, vehicles and electronics, a sign the continent is moving away from dependence on raw commodities.
African Union Deputy Chairperson Selma Malika Haddadi added that intra-African trade, though still only 15% of the continent’s total trade, is largely driven by manufactured goods and could become a powerful force for industrialisation.
Since 2018, IATF has hosted more than 4,500 exhibitors and produced landmark deals, including the $2.9 billion Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project in Tanzania.
Afreximbank President Benedict Oramah said the fair has become “a formidable platform for the new struggle for economic independence of all Africans, regardless of colour, creed, location, gender, or status.”
The Algiers edition features major showcases including Global Africa Diaspora Day, Arise Industrialisation Day, Creative Africa Nexus, and the Africa Automotive Show.
