IATF2023 wheels set in motion with first Business Forum.

The Intra-African Trade Fair 2023 will be held in Cairo in November. The fair aims to provide a unique platform to share trade, market and investment information and to connect buyers and sellers from across the continent in support of increased intra-African trade and investment, especially in the context of implementing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement. The Automotive Forum and Exhibition hosted by AAAM (African Association of Automotive Manufacturers) will again form part of the 2023 Intra-African Trade Fair, hosted by the government of Egypt and organised by African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in collaboration with the African Union and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat. On “The Road to the IATF2023”, the first IATF2023 Business Forum was held in Johannesburg on May 11 comprising of high-level officials, captains of industry and partners as well as executives from Afreximbank. The speakers highlighted that there were considerable opportunities for trade within the AfCFTA and that implementation must come from governments and the private sector on the continent to make it a reality. One of the highlights of the day was a panel discussion titled “Unlocking Opportunities under the AFCFTA for South Africa’s Manufacturers, Exporters, Investors, Creatives and Automotive Players”. The panel was moderated by Tsepiso Makwetla, and AAAM’s President, Mike Whitfield, was one of the speakers.

Whitfield noted that “The opportunities for the AfCFTA are massive but it is up to us, the participants in the AfCFTA to seize the opportunities offered and bring them to fruition, others are not going to do it for us, and we have to capitalise on this opportunity. “What we are seeing from an automotive perspective is a lot of interest from many African countries wanting to participate in the opportunities offered. What is a reality is that the AfCFTA is happening, it’s very much alive,” concluded Whitfield.