Cairo – Mubasher: Egypt will host the first-ever Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) next December, trade minister Tarek Kabil said in a statement.
Egypt’s Export Development Authority (EDA) will organize the event in coordination with the African Union (AU) and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).
The fair will take place starting 11 December to 17 December 2018, according to the statement.
The IATF 2018 will be an opportunity for the African countries to exchange information, investment opportunities, and market experiences, the minister added.
Kabil also remarked that the IATF will enable investors to strike trade deals that bolster trade exchange among the African states.
Bilateral trade among African nations retreated to $38 billion last year from $63.4 billion in 2016, he noted.
This came on the sidelines of a press conference held in Kigali, Rwanda in light of the 30th African Union (AU) Summit.
For her part, CEO of EDA Sherine El-Shorbagy said that IATF 2018 is projected to embrace more than 1,000 exhibitors and 4,500 buyers who represent 55 African countries.
The fair is also expected to welcome up to 100,000 African visitors and 60,000 local visitors, she noted.
El-Shorbagy highlighted that the IATF will bolster intra-African trade exchange to the target of $3 billion a year in the fields of agricultural products, food industries, construction materials, chemicals, and engineering.
