The 2018 Intra-African Trade Fair is set to hold in Cairo, Egypt.
Organised by Afreximbank, it is the first of its kind in Africa and would consist of a 7-day trade show that provides a platform for sharing trade, investment and market information and enabling buyers and sellers, investors and countries to meet, discuss and conclude business deals.
The fair would provide an opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their goods and services, engage in Business to Business (B2B) exchanges and conclude business deals.
According to Afreximbank, the intra-African Trade is the trade in goods and services between or among African countries and the flow of goods and services between Africa and Africans in the Diaspora.
The scope of intra-African Trade has also been broadened to include informal cross-border trade to enable the Bank to design special products and dedicate resources to formalize this trade.
Primary Objectives of the Intra-African Trade Fair
- To bring together continental and global players to showcase and exhibit their goods and services, and to explore business and investment opportunities in Africa
- To serve as a marketplace where buyers and sellers of goods and services meet and explore business opportunities
- To provide a platform for B2B exchanges and development of business opportunities
- To share trade, investment and market information with stakeholders including investors, SMEs, the informal sector, Africans in Diaspora, and to identify solutions to address the challenges affecting intra-African trade
- For Afreximbank and other financial institutions, to share information about their trade finance and trade facilitation interventions that will support intra-African trade
- To discuss topical issues affecting intra-African trade and provide practical and effective solutions
- To deploy multi-country and multi-company pavilions that will serve as one-stop shop for intra-African trade and investment opportunities in Africa
The Trade Fair is expected to contribute towards the bank’s objective to increase intra-African trade from USD170 billion in 2014 to USD 250 billion and by so doing, ensure that intra-African trade share of Africa’s total trade reaches 22% by 2021.
