Obasanjo calls IATF a driver of African trade

Algiers, Algeria – Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, chairman of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) Advisory Council, has described the event as a catalyst for trade and investment across Africa.

Speaking at IATF 29, Obasanjo said the fair has, over eight years, connected buyers, sellers, investors, innovators, and governments from across the continent and the global African community. He noted that the event has become a central platform for expanding trade flows and attracting investments.

Obasanjo highlighted projects such as the USD 2.9 billion Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project, executed entirely by African companies, as examples of the continent’s growing industrial and infrastructural capabilities.

He said IATF is more than a trade fair, calling it a journey across Africa and a symbol of economic awakening, where regional integration and intra-African trade ambitions are realised.