Cairo, Egypt’s capital city, has been named the new host of the third Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2023), which will now take place from November 9 to 15, 2023.
According to the IATF2023 Advisory Council in Cairo, the decision to change the venue and dates of the continental event, which was originally scheduled for Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, from 21 to 27 November 2023, was made in response to indications from the Government of Côte d’Ivoire that it was no longer in a position to host the trade fair due to difficulties in importing semi-permanent structures and complying with certain hosting requirements.
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Chairman of the IATF2023 Advisory Council, the trade fair’s governance body, praised the Egyptian government for agreeing to step in as the new host.
“We must thank the Arab Republic of Egypt’s government for its responsiveness, flexibility, and dedication in hosting the Intra-African Trade Fair once more,” Chief Obasanjo stated.
“Unquestionably, this demonstrates its commitment to promoting and expanding trade among African countries.” The biennial IATF was successfully launched in 2018 with Egypt. As a result, we want to reassure all IATF2023 stakeholders, including exhibitors, conference delegates, buyers, and trade visitors, that we have no doubt that the experience we gained with Egypt in 2018 and South Africa during the second edition in Durban in 2021 will make this third edition of Africa’s premier trade and investment platform a success beyond our expectations.”
Egypt, which hosted the tremendously successful inaugural IATF in 2018, provides first-rate infrastructure and amenities. The IATF2023 organizers are working closely with the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry to finalize the required arrangements and guarantee that the event takes place as scheduled and in excellent conditions.
“Coordination is underway with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to host the third edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair, scheduled for November 9th – 15th, 2023,” said Egypt’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Eng. Ahmed Samir. “We are eager to extend our full support in order to hold the fair in a format that is appropriate for Egypt’s position in Africa.” IATF2023 will provide a one-of-a-kind and useful platform for enterprises to have access to an integrated African market of over 1.3 billion people and a GDP of more than US$3.5 trillion formed by the African Continental Free Trade Area.”
IATF2023 refers to the African Union’s 2023 Assembly of Heads of State and Government’s decision to make “Acceleration of AfCFTA Implementation” the African Union Theme of the Year 2023. This emphasizes the IATF’s significance as a continental endeavor and as the market for the AfCFTA.
