Online Reporter
Sikhulekelani Moyo,Zimpapers Business Hub
ZIMBABWEAN companies are poised to strengthen their presence across the African market as momentum builds toward the 4th Intra-Africa Trade Fair (IATF2025), set to take place in Algiers, Algeria, from 4 to 10 September 2025.
This major continental trade and investment event presents a significant opportunity for Zimbabwean businesses aiming to boost their visibility and activities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
To support this effort, ZimTrade is coordinating initiatives to ensure Zimbabwean businesses are well-prepared to participate meaningfully in the trade fair.
As part of these efforts, ZimTrade hosted a breakfast meeting in Bulawayo on 5 June 2025, focused on providing practical guidance and updates to help businesses understand how to maximize benefits from engaging at IATF2025.
Speaking at the meeting, ZimTrade chief executive officer Allan Majuru, who also serves as a designated ambassador for the event, highlighted the growing interest in Zimbabwean products across African countries.
He noted that IATF2025 offers a valuable platform for companies to build commercial relationships, expand their reach, and learn how to leverage the AfCFTA framework.
“The IATF has proven that this ambition is within reach. Over its past three editions, Zimbabwean businesses have recorded over US$54.1 million in confirmed trade deals,” said Mr. Majuru.
“These are real contracts, real deliveries, and real growth. But what makes this platform powerful is not just the figures, it is the partnerships forged, and the long-term opportunities created.”
The business meeting also featured presentations from Afreximbank officials and key government departments. Attendees were briefed on specific features of IATF2025 and guided on effective preparation, including timelines, registration procedures, and documentation requirements.
In its July newsletter, ZimTrade noted that Zimbabwe has participated in previous editions of the Intra-Africa Trade Fair with measurable success. Local companies signed trade agreements valued at more than US$20 million at the previous fair held in Egypt.
This outcome reflects the competitiveness of Zimbabwean products and services in regional markets. “With AfCFTA now in operation, the event in Algeria is expected to create even more favourable conditions for businesses to enter new markets, benefit from harmonised trade systems, and improve their export capacity,” said ZimTrade.
The Intra-Africa Trade Fair is organised by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), together with the African Union and the AfCFTA Secretariat. The 2025 edition is expected to bring together more than 2,000 exhibitors representing at least 75 countries.
The event will provide a structured environment for commercial discussions, investment promotion, and business networking at multiple levels.
For Zimbabwean companies, ZimTrade said participation in IATF2025 offers several practical advantages. The fair creates an opportunity to showcase goods and services directly to a wide audience that includes buyers, investors, government representatives, and trade professionals from across the continent.
Bongani Ndlovu