Africa’s premier trade and investment event, the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) is transitioning into an independent, permanent African institution headquartered in Harare, Zimbabwe to accelerate Africa’s economic integration.
The Intra-African Trade Fair Company (IATFCO) was unveiled during the Intra-African Trade Fair 2025 (IATF2025) in Algiers. The move is aimed at making the fair sustainable, scalable and deeply aligned to the vision of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The announcement follows a rigorous selection process and eventual approval by the IATF Advisory Council and marks a new era in the organisation of the fair. IATF is co-convened biennially by the African Afreximbank, the African Union Commission and the AfCFTA Secretariat.
Zimbabwe emerged winner from the formal bids for hosting the headquarters of the IATFCO that were received from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Announcing the selection of Zimbabwe, the Chairman of the IATF Advisory Council and former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo explained that Zimbabwe was competitively selected for its conferencing facilities, robust air connectivity, accommodation capacity and pledged land for expansion.
H.E. Obasanjo said: “This opens a new chapter for IATF as it continues powering growth in intra-African trade and playing its role as the most important trade and investment gathering on the continent. IATF is a symbol of Africa’s economic awakening, where the power of trade and investment unifies us from across regions of the African continent and breathes life to the ambition of the African Continental Free Trade Area AfCFTA.
President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), Prof. Benedict Oramah congratulated the Government of Zimbabwe and challenged it, alongside the Advisory Council, to expedite its opening as an independent and sustainable organisation.
“This is a huge milestone for IATF. It is encouraging that the Board of Afreximbank has approved an initial capitalisation of US$28 million for the institution. While we anticipate that the organisation would strive for financial sustainability, I would like to seize this opportunity to call on African governments, Corporations, and financial institutions to support it during its early teething stage,” Prof Oramah said.
IATF is a platform for businesses to showcase their goods and services to visitors and buyers while exploring opportunities and exchanging information. IATF aims to tap into opportunities from AfCFTA’s single market of over 1.4 billion people and GDP of over US$3.5 trillion. Attended by more than 112,000 visitors from 132 countries, IATF2025, which took place from 4 to 10 September, ended on a remarkably high note with US$48.3 billion in trade and investment deals signed over the seven days of the continental exposition. It welcomed 2,148 exhibitors.
