Obasanjo assures of success as Intra-African Trade moved to Cairo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria, and Chairman of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2023) advisory Council has assured stakeholders, including exhibitors, conference delegates, buyers and trade visitors, of the success of IATF2023 as the venue for the third edition has been moved to Cairo, Egypt.

In a statement made available to BusinessDay, the Egyptian capital city of Cairo was announced as the new host of the IATF2023 which will now take place from 9 to 15 November 2023.

The IATF2023 Advisory Council said in Cairo that the decision to change the venue and dates of the continental event, originally scheduled for Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, from 21 to 27 November 2023, followed indications received from the government of Côte d’Ivoire that it was no longer in a position to host the trade fair due to difficulties faced in importing semi-permanent structures and in complying with certain hosting requirements.

Obasanjo, chairman of the IATF2023 Advisory Council, which is the governance body of the trade fair, commended the commitment of the Egyptian government for agreeing to step in as the new host.

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“We must thank the government of the Arab Republic of Egypt for its responsiveness, flexibility and dedication in, once again, hosting the Intra-African Trade Fair,” said Obasanjo. “This demonstrates its commitment to promoting and expanding trade among African countries. With Egypt, the biennial IATF was launched in 2018 with flying colours. We, therefore, reassure all IATF2023 stakeholders, including exhibitors, conference delegates, buyers and trade visitors, that we have no doubt that the experience we have gained with Egypt in 2018 and with South Africa during the second edition in Durban in 2021, will make this third edition of Africa’s premier trade and investment platform a success beyond our expectations.”

The host country of the highly successful inaugural IATF in 2018, Egypt, offers first-class infrastructure and facilities. The IATF2023 organisers, in close collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry, are on track to promptly finalise the necessary arrangements and ensure that IATF2023 takes place as planned in excellent conditions.

“Coordination is underway with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to host the third edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair, due to be held during 9th – 15th November 2023,” said Ahmed Samir, minister of trade and industry of Egypt.