Zimbabwean companies will leverage their participation at an upcoming continental trade fair to bolster the country’s ambition to expand pan-African trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
About 30 local firms are set to join others from across the continent at the 4th Intra-Africa Trade Fair (IATF2025), scheduled to take place in Algeria from September 4.
The event presents a platform for local companies to enhance visibility and increase commercial activity under AfCFTA framework.
National trade promotion body ZimTrade is coordinating Zimbabwe’s participation, having recently hosted a preparatory breakfast meeting in Bulawayo. The session provided practical guidance to companies on how to effectively leverage the trade fair.
Zimbabwe’s delegation will focus primarily on agriculture, mining, and manufacturing.
ZimTrade chief executive officer Allan Majuru, who serves as a designated ambassador for the event, said: “The IATF has demonstrated that this ambition is achievable.”
He said Zimbabwean businesses secured over US$54,1 million in confirmed trade deals from the previous three editions. “These represent tangible contracts, actual deliveries and genuine growth.”
Majuru added that beyond immediate financial gains, the trade fair fosters valuable long-term partnerships and opportunities.
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The event assumes added significance as Zimbabwe seeks to revitalise its export sector under AfCFTA, which has created a continental market of 1,3 billion people with a combined gross domestic product exceeding US$3,5 trillion.
However, challenges remain in translating this potential into sustained economic benefits.
Bulawayo Provincial Affairs minister Judith Ncube highlighted Zimbabwe’s strategic advantages, ahead of the event.
“Our geographical position, abundant natural resources and skilled workforce establish Zimbabwe as a key player in African trade,” she said. “The IATF enables us to showcase these strengths while attracting investment and forging new trade partnerships to stimulate national growth.”
Algerian Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mohamed Seoudi outlined the broader continental perspective, saying the trade fair provides a unique platform to facilitate trade, investment, and production exchange, particularly in implementing AfCFTA.
“It brings together African and global stakeholders to explore commercial opportunities while addressing challenges in intra-African trade,” the diplomat said.
Zimbabwe’s previous participation has yielded concrete results, including US$20 million worth of deals secured at the Egypt edition.
With AfCFTA operational since 2020, this year’s event promises enhanced prospects for market access, harmonised trade systems, and export capacity building.
In its latest report, ZimTrade said participation at IATF2025 offers several practical advantages for Zimbabwean firms.
“The fair creates an opportunity to present goods and services directly to a wide audience that includes buyers, investors, government representatives, and trade professionals from across the continent,” ZimTrade said.
“It also supports the formation of business relationships that can lead to long-term contracts and joint ventures. In addition, the fair allows participants to learn more about evolving trade trends, sector specific developments, and regulatory issues that may impact cross-border commerce.”
The fair’s organisers have selected Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms (Arise IIP) as the premier partner, reinforcing the event’s focus on industrial development.
Arise IIP chief operating officer Amit Agrawal noted that intra-African trade remains essential to unlocking the continent’s full industrial potential.
“IATF2025 offers unparalleled opportunities to establish new partnerships, attract investment and accelerate development of sustainable industrial ecosystems across Africa,” he said this week.
Arise IIP, a pan-African industrial developer, designs and operates large-scale industrial ecosystems across the continent.
