Parliament is in the process of enacting a law that will enable the hosting of the Intra-Africa Trade Fair (IATF) in Zimbabwe and to also operationalise the Intra-Africa Trade Fair Company that will be headquartered in the country.
The Bill, which is titled ”Intra-Africa Trade Fair Company (IATFCO) Entities Hosting Agreement Bill”, has already passed through the stages in the National Assembly and is now in the Senate.
The Bill primarily addresses the privileges and immunities to be accorded to the IATF Company entities in accordance with international practise governing host country agreements.
These provisions are necessary to enable the IATF Company to operate independently, efficiently, and in alignment with its international mandate while respecting the sovereignty and laws of Zimbabwe.
If enacted, the coming in of the Intra-African Trade Fair Company means that Zimbabwe will be hosting the Intra-Africa Trade Fairs on an annual basis.
According to Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, the awarding of the hosting of the IATF Company to Zimbabwe was no ease task as it was done after a ‘’competitive bidding processes that saw Zimbabwe competing with such countries as Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Malawi, Zambia and South Africa.
‘’Zimbabwe is scheduled to host the trade fairs from 2028 and these are held within the auspices of the Intra-African Trade Fair.
‘’The principal objective of the IATFCO Bill is to establish the Intra-Africa Trade Fair Company in partnership with the African Export-Import Bank, the African Union Commission and the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat.
‘’The Bill provides the necessary legal framework for Zimbabwe to host the IATF and its permanent secretariat, with a deliberate focus on enhancing intra-African trade, industrialisation, value addition and regional economic cooperation.
‘’Zimbabwe has been officially selected as the host city for the newly established permanent headquarters of the Intra-Africa Trade Fair Company (IATFCO). This significant announcement was made during IATF 2025 in Algiers.
‘’This development marks a pivotal step towards institutionalising the IATF as an independent and sustainable entity, thereby strengthening continental economic integration and cooperation,’’ he said.
The minister added that the Chairman of the IATF Advisory Council, Olusegun Obasanjo, cited Zimbabwe’s robust conferencing facilities, excellent air connectivity, ample accommodation capacity and land allocated for expansion as key factors in the selection.
Currently there is no dedicated legal entity solely responsible for hosting and managing the IATF permanently and this has resulted in gaps in policy coherence, institutional coordination and long-term strategy planning.
The Intra-Africa Trade Fair which is organised by the Afrexim Bank in collaboration with the African Union Commission and the ACFTA Secretariat was first held in Cairo in 2018, as a flagship continental platform to promote trade and investment across Africa.
The IATF was conceived as a practical instrument to unlock the immense opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area.
It brings together buyers, sellers, investors, manufacturers, service providers and governments under one roof to facilitate business-to-business and business-to government engagements, showcase African products and services and deepen intra-African market linkages.
Since its inception, the IATF has grown into Africa’s premier trade and investment marketplace. The 2018 edition in Cairo, Egypt, attracted over 1000 exhibitors and generated trade and investment deals valued at more than USD32 billion.
The 2021 edition held in Durban, South Africa, welcomed over 1100 exhibitors from 59 countries and recorded deals worth approximately USD42 million.
The 2023 edition, again in Cairo, hosted 1600 exhibitors and achieved commitments exceeding USD43 billion.
Most recently, the 2025 edition was hosted in Algiers under the theme, ‘Boosting intra-African trade for sustainable future, innovation, value addition and green industrialisation’.
The hosting of the IATF will go a long way in marketing Zimbabwe’s Meetings Incentives Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) opportunities.
On infrastructure requirements to host the Intra-African Trade Fair Company, Zimbabwe is supposed to meet a minimum requirement of 20 000 hotel beds by 2027.
According to Honourable Clement Maduwa, the requirements for more beds creates a massive opportunity for the tourism sector.
‘’In terms of the calculation that has been done, we have a deficit of 9 000 and this presents an opportunity for us as a country to invest in tourism and infrastructure development,’’ he said.
