Nigeria wins bid to host IATF 2027

Nigeria has been selected to host the fifth edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF), Africa’s flagship trade and investment gathering, scheduled for 2027. The announcement followed a rigorous bidding and due diligence process.

The disclosure was made by the Chairman of the IATF Advisory Council and former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, during the official opening of the ongoing fourth edition, IATF2025, in Algiers, Algeria.

Presenting the IATF host’s flag to Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Aduwole, Obasanjo said: “IATF is not just a trade fair—it is a journey across our continent and global Africa, carried forward by nations that share in the vision of Intra-African trade and regional integration. Since its inception, IATF has rotated across our continent, leaving its unique legacy and improving with each host nation. Today, we continue this proud tradition by announcing Nigeria as the country that will host IATF2027.”

The IATF, held biennially, is jointly organised by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the African Union Commission, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat. The weeklong fair provides businesses with a platform to showcase goods and services, build partnerships, and explore opportunities across AfCFTA’s single market of over 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP exceeding US$3.5 trillion.

Nigeria now joins Egypt, South Africa, and Algeria as hosts of the continental event. The maiden edition took place in Cairo in 2018, followed by Durban in 2021, a return to Cairo in 2023, and now Algiers in 2025. Collectively, the past three editions have generated over US$118 billion in trade and investment deals, attracting more than 70,000 visitors and 4,500 exhibitors.

Reflecting on the fair’s progress, Prof Benedict Oramah, outgoing President and Chairman of the Board of Afreximbank, said: “The journey we began in 2017, when we started planning for the inaugural Trade Fair, which was held in November 2018, was a strategic move drawn from Afreximbank’s Intra-African Trade Strategy, launched in 2016. The herculean task of converting vision to reality, mobilising African states, thousands of exhibitors, buyers, and sponsors, among others for an event of such a magnitude was only made possible by the strong support Afreximbank received from many.”

The opening ceremony of IATF2025 was presided over by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and attended by thousands of delegates, including African and Caribbean heads of state and government, alongside business leaders and captains of industry.