Lagos has been confirmed as the host city for the fifth edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair 2027 (IATF2027), with organisers aiming to secure about $50 billion in trade and investment deals during the week-long event.
Nigeria officially signed the hosting agreement on Monday, taking over from Algeria, which hosted the fourth edition that generated $49.94 billion in trade and investment commitments.
The agreement was signed in partnership with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the African Union Commission and the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat.
Scheduled for November 5 to 11, 2027, the fair is expected to attract more than 100,000 visitors, host about 2,500 exhibitors and draw participants from over 100 countries.
Held under the theme “Global Africa Repositioned – From Market Access to Market,” the event will feature trade exhibitions, forums focused on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), business-to-business and business-to-government networking sessions, and a number of specialised programmes.
These include Global Africa Day, the Creative Africa Nexus platform, the Africa Automotive Show, the AU Youth Startup Pavilion, and the Africa Research and Innovation Hub, among other sector-focused showcases.
Chairperson of the IATF2027 Advisory Council, Olusegun Obasanjo, said hosting the fair in Lagos carried historical significance because the city was where the landmark Lagos Plan of Action was conceived to promote Africa’s industrialisation and economic self-reliance.
He expressed confidence that the 2027 edition would surpass previous fairs in both scale and impact as Africa worked towards building a unified market under AfCFTA.
President and Chairman of Afreximbank, George Elombi, said Nigeria’s dynamic business environment would inspire confidence among investors and entrepreneurs across the continent.
He noted that the trade fair served as a platform for building a strong pan-African market, strengthening value chains and creating jobs across Africa.
Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, described the upcoming fair as a critical opportunity to accelerate intra-African trade under AfCFTA, particularly at a time when global trading systems were becoming increasingly complex.
Meanwhile, the Director of Private Sector Engagement at the AfCFTA Secretariat, Cynthia Gnassingbé-Essonam, emphasised that platforms such as the Intra-African Trade Fair were essential for translating trade agreements into real business opportunities.
Since its launch in 2018, the Intra-African Trade Fair has generated about $167 billion in trade and investment deals and attracted more than 180,000 participants from 132 countries, reinforcing its status as Africa’s leading marketplace for trade and investment.
