The week-long Intra-African Trade Fair 2021 (IATF2021) ended on Sunday in South Africa’s Durban city with 36 billion U.S. dollars trade deals sealed.
Managing Director of Afreximbank‘s intra-African trade initiative, Kanayo Awani made the announcement at the closing ceremony of the IATF2021 on Sunday.
She stated that the fair welcomed 11,828 physical attenders over a target of 10,000 as well as hosting 59 exhibitors of which 46 are from the African continent and the remainder from other parts of the world.
The chairperson of the IATF2021 Advisory Council, Olusegun Obasanjo said his heart is full of joy over the achievements made at the trade fair. He stated that despite the challenges of COVID-19 the show was very successful.
“We are celebrating the incredibly exciting event … with so many deals being concluded. Many businesses did take advantage of the collaboration and networking opportunities,” he said.
Secretary general of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, Wamkele Mene also stated that the continent has huge infrastructure deficit which could be opportunities. He urged Africans to take up the opportunities to make AfCFTA a success with respect to the high level of political and legal commitment Africa is witnessing.