The third Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2023) began today at the impressive Al Manara International Conference Centre, in Cairo, Egypt, with over 75 countries, 1,600 exhibitors, and 35,000 conference delegates and trade visitors dealing and talking their way through trade and business.
In his remarks at the opening ceremony, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria and Chairman of the IATF 2023 Advisory Council, described this year’s trade fair as “a testament not only to the commitment of Africans to economic integration but also to our collective determination to create a better today and a prosperous future for people.”
Albert M. Muchanga, Commissioner for Trade and Industry of the African Union Commission, said that the organizers of IATF 2023 were committed to ensuring that the continent increased access to international markets for the products of Africa’s creative industries as part of its export development and discussion programme.
Boris Kodjoe, a German actor and former fashion model, urged all the participants at the fair to recognize that they are a powerful ecosystem of stakeholders, audiences, creators, distributors, and investors. He admonished them to go beyond merely taking part in the trade fair and help the African Continental Trade Area (AfCFTA) boost trade. “Leveraging our collective power in this new African Continental Free Trade Area environment is imperative.”