African trade fair: rocky start, but fair end
The African trade fair was switched from Kigali to Durban at the last minute and inevitably the start led to delays, confusion and not a little paranoia in a city that had experienced looting and riots earlier this year. In the end, however, deals were struck
An African trade fair in Durban that began amid confusion and not a little inconvenience in a city still on edge after civil unrest four months earlier ended with $42.2bn in deals in continental trade and investment.The second Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) was proclaimed a success with about 500 business deals concluded during the fair and related Creative Africa Nexus, the IATF Automotive Show and the AU’s Youth Start-Up programme.The fair and conference were organised by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in collaboration with the AU and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) from November 15 to 21. The aim was to promote trade and to share trade, investment and market information as well as trade finance and help find trade solutions.Durban became a late host after the Rwandan capital of Kigali was shelved because of Covid. The SA city had just four months to plan for the event after the change of venue.The fair and a conference — attended by the leaders of...
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