Firms Eye New Markets at Intra-African Trade Fair

Online Chronicle  

September 4, 2025

Kudzanai Sharara in Algeria

THE 2025 Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2025), in which 25 Zimbabwean firms are participating, presents a rare opportunity for collaboration, innovation, and expansion into new markets, a senior official from ZimTrade, the country’s trade development and promotion organisation, has said.

The IATF 2025, organised by Afreximbank in partnership with the African union Commission and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, is being held in Algiers, Algeria, from September 4 to 10, 2025.

This biennial event aims to enhance intra-African trade and highlight investment opportunities across the continent, with projected trade and investment deals exceeding US$44 billion.

Over the years, the IATF has served as a “unique platform” for facilitating the exchange of trade and investment information, supporting increased intra-African trade and investment, particularly in the context of AfCFTA implementation.

The fair brings together continental and global stakeholders to showcase and exhibit goods and services, while exploring business and investment opportunities across Africa.

It also provides a forum for sharing trade, investment, and market information with stakeholders, enabling participants to discuss and identify solutions to the challenges facing intra-African trade and investment.

In addition to African participants, the trade fair welcomes businesses and investors from non-African countries who bring investment goods and seek opportunities to engage in African markets and support the continent’s transformation through industrialisation and export development.

For this year’s edition, ZimTrade, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, facilitated the participation of 25 firms. This initiative supports efforts to grow national exports by at least 10 percent annually — from US$4.5 billion in 2018 to US$14 billion by 2030 — in line with Zimbabwe’s National Export Strategy.

ZimTrade Chief Executive Officer, Mr Allan Majuru, who was also appointed an IATF 2025 ambassador, described the fair as “a rare opportunity for collaboration, innovation and expansion into new markets.”

He underscored the importance of continental trade for Zimbabwe, noting that the Intra-African Trade Fair is a platform where African nations convene to exchange ideas and address challenges related to trade integration across the continent.

Mr Majuru believes that for Zimbabwean companies to succeed in regional markets, they must understand their strengths and tailor their offerings to meet market demands. He said the fair enables local companies to “identify trends, gather vital market intelligence, and prepare our businesses to scale up across the continent.”

According to ZimTrade, Zimbabwe’s participation reflects its diverse economic base and export potential, with companies representing a wide range of industries including fast-moving consumer goods, leather, agriculture, services and artisanal products.

This broad representation highlights Zimbabwe’s competitiveness across multiple sectors and its ambition to expand its footprint in regional and international markets.