Côte d’Ivoire declares committment to host IATF 2023

The government of Côte d’Ivoire has declared its commitment to hosting a successful Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) in 2023, this has been affirmed by H.E Tiemoko Moriko, Ambassador of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire in Ghana and Togo.

On Friday, January 14, 2022, organisers of ITAF, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) the African Union (AU) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat held a media launch of the 2023 edition of the event at the AfCFTA secretariat in Accra.

With the honour to lead the official launch, H.E Tiemoko Moriko, Ambassador of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire in Ghana and Togo assured that his country will do everything in its power to be ready for the fair.

“I want to assure that the Ivorian state is ready and committed to put in place everything to prepare for IATF 2023.

“My dear country will take all necessary steps to make the trade fair a success so that the objectives of the IATF will be reached. There will be a well-planned atmosphere for this event. Exhibition points, accommodation, security, everything will be well coordinated,” H.E Tiemoko Moriko said at the conference.

He said for his country Cote d’Ivoire, the opportunity to host the 2023 IATF is a very important milestone and they will draw success inspirations from countries that have hosted the past events to make the upcoming fair the very best.

Speaking at the launch, Mrs. Kanayo Awani who is Managing Director, Intra-African Trade Initiative at Afreximbank stressed that there remains a lot of potential on the continent, noting that it is what the IATF 2023 is seeking to give to businesses.

“There remain a great potential for Africa to continue as we move to the 3rd edition. We will very soon announce the date after taking into consideration that calendar of all partners,” Mrs. Kanayo Awani shared.

For the 2023 IATF, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) wants to see a bigger fair where Africans trade amongst themselves with ease to the satisfaction and benefit of all parties.

This is according to AfCFTA Secretary General H.E Wamkele Mene. Speaking at the press conference, he said his outfit aims to reduce the barrier to trade and investments by ensuring all 39 countries onboard will follow through with obligations and requirements.

The first of the Intra-African Trade Fair was held in Egypt in 2018 and exceeded its target. Subsequently in 2021, the second edition was hosted by South Africa with the city of Durban exposing African businesses to over 1.2 billion people including investors and buyers.

More about the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF)

The Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) is organised by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in collaboration with the African Union (AU) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat.

IATF provides a platform to promote trade under the AfCFTA by bringing together continental and global buyers and sellers, and enabling stakeholders to share trade, investment and market information as well as trade finance and trade facilitation solutions designed to support intra-African trade and the economic integration of the continent.

In addition to establishing business-to-business and business-to-government exchange platforms for business deals and advisory services, IATF also operates Virtual, an interactive online platform that replicates the physical event.

IATF focuses on Africa’s creative economy as well as the automotive industry with dedicated programmes.

A conference runs alongside the exhibition and features high-profile speakers and panellists addressing topical issues relating to trade, trade finance, payments, trade facilitation, trade-enabling infrastructure, trade standards, industrialisation, regional value chains and investment.