Nigeria to Host Intra-African Trade Fair in 2027
Nigeria has been named the host of the fifth edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF), Africa’s flagship trade and investment platform, set to take place in 2027.
The announcement was made by H.E. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Chairman of the IATF Advisory Council and former President of Nigeria, during the official opening ceremony of IATF2025 currently being held in Algiers, Algeria.
In a symbolic handover, Chief Obasanjo presented the IATF host’s flag to Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Aduwole. “IATF is not just a trade fair—it is a journey across our continent and global Africa, carried forward by nations that share in the vision of Intra-African trade and regional integration,” he said.
The biennial week-long trade fair is co-convened by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the African Union Commission and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat. It provides businesses with an opportunity to showcase products and services, explore partnerships, and harness the benefits of AfCFTA’s single market of over 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP exceeding US$3.5 trillion.
Nigeria becomes the fourth country to host IATF. Egypt staged the inaugural edition in Cairo in 2018, followed by South Africa in Durban in 2021. The event returned to Cairo in 2023 before moving to Algiers this year. Collectively, the past three editions generated over US$118 billion in trade and investment deals, drawing more than 70,000 visitors and 4,500 exhibitors.
Reflecting on the growth of the fair, Prof. Benedict Oramah, outgoing President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, highlighted the vision behind its establishment. “The journey we began in 2017… was a strategic move drawn from Afreximbank’s Intra-African Trade Strategy launched in 2016. The herculean task of converting vision to reality… was only made possible by the strong support Afreximbank received from many,” he noted.
The opening of IATF2025 was presided over by the President of Algeria, H.E. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, and attended by heads of state and government from across Africa and the Caribbean, alongside senior business leaders and industry captains.
