Zimbabwe Chosen as Headquarters for New Intra-African Trade Fair Institution

Zimbabwe has been selected as the permanent home of the Intra-African Trade Fair Company (IATFCO), the newly established independent entity that will oversee Africa’s premier trade and investment event, the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF). The headquarters will be based in Harare, following a competitive bidding process.

The announcement was made at IATF2025 in Algiers, where the new institution was officially unveiled. The move marks a significant step toward making the trade fair a sustainable and scalable institution that fully aligns with the vision of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The decision to host IATFCO in Zimbabwe followed a rigorous selection process and approval by the IATF Advisory Council. Other countries that submitted bids included Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Malawi, Zambia, and South Africa.

H.E. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria and Chairman of the IATF Advisory Council, explained the choice: “Zimbabwe was competitively selected for its conferencing facilities, robust air connectivity, accommodation capacity and pledged land for expansion. 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.”

Professor Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), congratulated Zimbabwe and urged swift action to establish the new headquarters. “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,” he said.

The IATF, co-convened biennially by Afreximbank, the African Union Commission, and the AfCFTA Secretariat, is a platform for businesses to showcase goods and services, explore opportunities, and exchange information. It leverages AfCFTA’s single market of more than 1.4 billion people and a GDP exceeding US$3.5 trillion.

The 2025 edition of the trade fair, held from September 4 to 10 in Algiers, attracted over 112,000 visitors from 132 countries, featured 2,148 exhibitors, and concluded with US$48.3 billion worth of trade and investment deals signed over seven days.