The Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF), Africa’s flagship platform for trade and investment, will transition into a permanent independent institution, headquartered in Harare, Zimbabwe, as part of efforts to accelerate the continent’s economic integration.
The new entity, the Intra-African Trade Fair Company (IATFCO), was unveiled at IATF2025 in Algiers. Organisers said the move is designed to ensure the fair’s long-term sustainability, scalability, and closer alignment with the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Zimbabwe secured the bid to host the headquarters after competing with Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Malawi, Zambia, and South Africa. The IATF Advisory Council cited the country’s conferencing facilities, strong air connectivity, hotel capacity, and pledged land for expansion as decisive factors.
Announcing the decision, H.E. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Chair of the IATF Advisory Council and former President of Nigeria, 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.”
Prof. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, congratulated Zimbabwe and urged swift action to operationalise the new institution. “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 co-convened biennially by Afreximbank, the African Union Commission, and the AfCFTA Secretariat. The fair has grown into the continent’s largest marketplace for intra-African commerce, linking businesses to buyers, investors, and policymakers.
The 2025 edition in Algiers drew over 112,000 visitors from 132 countries, featured 2,148 exhibitors, and concluded with US$48.3 billion in trade and investment deals signed. With AfCFTA’s single market of 1.4 billion people and a GDP of US$3.5 trillion, organisers say the IATFCO will play a central role in unlocking opportunities across the continent.
