The African Union Commission (AUC), in collaboration with the Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the Government of Republic Arab of Egypt, is hosting the IATF 2018 taking place from the 11 – 17 December 2018 at the Al Manara International Conferences Centre (AMICC) in the city of Cairo, Egypt.
Analysis by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) shows that one of the main reasons why intra-African trade is low at around 15% compared to Europe (59%), Asia (51%), and North America (37%) is because of lack of access to trade and market information. To address this challenge, Afreximbank decided to, among other initiatives, convene the Intra-African Trade Fair every two years to provide trade and market information and connect buyers and sellers from across the continent.
The Intra-African Trade Fair is the first of its kind in Africa, consisting of a 7-day trade show that provides a platform for sharing trade, investment and market information and enabling buyers and sellers, investors and countries to meet, discuss and conclude business deals. It provides an opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their goods and services, engage in Business to Business (B2B) exchanges and conclude business deals.
AU SAFGRAD is actively taking part of the event as the Specialized Technical office of the African Union in the area of agriculture research and development in semi-arid zone of Africa and with the mandate to contribute to the advancement of agricultural research, technology transfer and marketing as well as the management of nature resources. The Office is holding a booth within AU Pavillon at HALL 4. The booth is daily managed by Mr Youssoupha MBENGUE, Sr Information and Outreach Officer, assisted by Mr Gaafar RIZGALLAH, Documentalist, under the overall supervision of Dr Ahmed ELMEKASS, AU SAFGRAD Coordinator.
Dr ELMEKASS is also being Panalist for Conference session on “Market Access Support for Smallholders (farmers) and SMEs”.
