Nigeria has signed the host country agreement for the fifth edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair in 2027, positioning Africa’s largest economy to stage the continent’s flagship trade and investment marketplace as policymakers push to accelerate commerce under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The agreement was signed in Lagos in partnership with African Export-Import Bank, the African Union Commission and the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat. Nigeria takes over hosting duties from Algeria, which staged the fourth edition that generated about $49.94 billion in trade and investment deals.
The event, known as Intra-African Trade Fair 2027, will take place in Lagos from November 5 to 11, 2027, and is expected to attract more than 100,000 visitors, 2,500 exhibitors and participants from over 100 countries. Organisers are targeting more than $50 billion in trade and investment deals.
Programmes at the week-long fair will include trade exhibitions, an AfCFTA-focused trade and investment forum, a business-to-business and business-to-government platform, and Global Africa Day aimed at strengthening ties with the continent’s diaspora. Other features include the Creative Africa Nexus initiative showcasing Africa’s creative economy, an Africa Automotive Show, a youth start-up pavilion and the Africa Research and Innovation Hub.
In four editions since its launch in 2018, the trade fair has generated more than $167 billion in trade and investment deals and attracted over 180,000 visitors from 132 countries, according to organisers.
Olusegun Obasanjo, chairperson of the advisory council for the 2027 fair and a former Nigerian president, said hosting the event in Lagos carries historical significance for the continent’s economic integration agenda.
“The signing of this host agreement marks a momentous milestone for Nigeria and for the continent. Bringing IATF2027 to Lagos is historically significant, as this city hosted the Lagos Plan of Action adopted in 1980, which championed Africa’s industrialisation and economic self-sufficiency. We have to work hard to keep moving towards the Africa we want. I am confident that IATF2027 will surpass all previous editions in both scope and impact as we advance our shared goal for a unified African marketplace under the AfCFTA,” he remarked.
Nigeria’s trade minister, Jumoke Oduwole, said the fair comes at a time when the global trading system faces significant uncertainty, making regional integration more urgent for African economies.
“Today, as the international trading system faces profound challenges, we must remain resolute in our commitment to mutually beneficial, rules-based trade. As we prepare to host Africa’s largest marketplace in Lagos in 2027, we have an opportunity not only to reflect on our reality but to design the future of African trade integration and economic transformation.
“The work ahead of us under the AfCFTA is not only expansive but also existential for our survival and prosperity. IATF 2027 will therefore be a defining moment in accelerating and transforming intra-African trade and investment. Together, we must align our markets, our industries and our talent to deliver the prosperous Africa we envision,” she affirmed.
George Elombi, president and chairman of the board of directors of Afreximbank, said Nigeria’s economic scale and entrepreneurial base make it well-suited to host the fair.
“Nigeria’s vibrant entrepreneurial spirit gives us confidence that IATF2027 in Lagos will be a remarkable event that strengthens trade and investment across the continent. The trade fair is about building a strong pan-African single market and expanding intra-African trade beyond the levels we see today. Our collective duty is to use this platform to build value chains, create jobs and generate prosperity for our people. When Africans decide to work together, as they will at IATF 2027, the opportunities for transformation are limitless,” he highlighted.
Nigeria’s large domestic market, resource base and growing manufacturing sector place it at the centre of efforts to deepen regional value chains under the AfCFTA. The country is a major producer of oil and gas, solid minerals including limestone, iron ore, gold and lithium, and key agricultural commodities, alongside a large small and medium-sized enterprise sector.
Francisca Tatchoup Belobe, the African Union commissioner for economic development, trade, tourism, industry and minerals, said the fair must play a stronger role in boosting intra-African commerce.
“When we launched the IATF in 2018, it was a bold experiment in connectivity. It was not only a commercial event, but rather a strategic tool to increase intra-African trade, which remains stubbornly low. As we prepare for the fifth edition of the IATF, we must ensure that it propels intra-African trade and helps Africa reposition itself in the global trade landscape. We should therefore aim very high in 2027, especially as the IATF takes place in Nigeria, the most populous African country and one of the continent’s largest economies. Let us make IATF 2027 a defining moment that ignites new momentum for Africa’s investment, industrialisation and trade,” she said.
Representing AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene, the secretariat’s director of private sector engagement and communications, Cynthia E. Gnassingbé‑Essonam, said Nigeria’s role as host strengthens efforts to operationalise the continental trade pact.
“Today’s ceremony marks an important milestone in our collective efforts to advance the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area. The Intra-African Trade Fair has established itself as Africa’s premier marketplace for trade and investment, bringing together businesses, investors and policymakers from across the continent and the diaspora. Nigeria’s host of IATF 2027 is both timely and significant, and we are confident it will deliver an impactful trade fair that reflects the ambition of the AfCFTA and the aspirations of African businesses,” she commended.
