From our Special Envoy in Durban, Issouf Kagamate
The 2021 edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair ended this Sunday, November 21 at the Durban international Convention Center in Kwazulu, South Africa.
Despite a Covid-19 context that has strained African economies, the event recorded nearly 11,800 visitors, 46 countries represented and $ 36 billion in contracts were concluded, according to Kanayo Awani, general manager of the Commercial Initiative intra-African to Afreximbank. A record compared to the first edition in which nearly 7,000 participants took part.
The first economy of Uemoa, Côte d’Ivoire will fall under the third edition scheduled for 2023 in Abidjan. It must be said that the fair also highlighted the African cultural industry which could, according to Benedict Oramah, the president of Afreximbank, revolutionize untapped talent. Because, he says, it’s a bankable market.
For his part, Zlecaf General Secretary Wamkele Mene praised the leadership of Afreximbank President who has succeeded in positioning the bank in business needs and supporting business initiatives. Recalling that the Zlecaf set up by the States is important for the 2063 agenda of the African Union (AU).