Last week, the 1Africa Consulting team attended the 2021 Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) which took place in Durban, South Africa. The event, promoted by Afreximbank in collaboration with the African Union and the AfCFTA Secretariat, brought together businesses and professionals from across the African continent (and abroad) under one roof as a means to boost intra-African trade and partnerships.
This year’s event focused on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which is a single market for goods and services across 55 African countries, aimed at stimulating intra-African trade and investment. The event created a platform for representation of countries across the continent, and attracted an estimated 1 100 exhibitors, 5 000 conference participants, over 11 000 physical visitors and an additional 27 000 virtual visitors.
Pan-African events such as IATF are valuable when it comes to driving economic growth in Africa. In a recent article published by the United Nation’s Africa Renewal publication, 1Africa Consulting CEO Mosh Matsena emphasised the need for us as Africans to harness the immense potential offered by partnerships, collaborations and business ventures with our counterparts across the continent. She states: “The narrative needs to be future-forward and reflective of where the continent is going to. For transformation to truly happen in Africa, we need the buy-in and support of all stakeholders, not just government and policy-makers. Private sector needs to be open to the conversation of doing more and more business on the continent, and explore local partnerships to an exponentially larger extend” (read more here: https://bit.ly/3csK0Cl).
The 1Africa Consulting team met with business professionals from various countries and industries, discussing the role of effective communication strategies for business growth and brand positioning in a highly competitive marketing environment. Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Managing Director of Afreximbank’s Intra African Trade Initiative, reported that the deals concluded as at 21 November 2021 stood at an estimated value of US$36 billion, with additional deals still in the pipeline. Overall, the 2021 IATF event was a resounding economic success for Africa, paving the way for exponential socio-economic growth, both for the continent and the global business environment.
1Africa Consulting Team Attends The 2021 Intra-African Trade Fair
