Nigeria, African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), African Union Commission (AUC), and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat on Monday signed Hosting Agreement for the 2027 Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2027) to be hosted in Lagos.
Lagos will also host Creative Africa Nexus 2026 (CANEX), another initiative of Afreximbank, this year.
The signing ceremony took place at Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts in Lagos.
The agreement formalised Nigeria’s role as host of Africa’s premier trade and investment platform, reinforcing the country’s commitment to advancing intra-African trade and accelerating implementation of AfCFTA.
Scheduled to take place November 5 – 11, 2027, IATF2027 is targeting US$50 billion in trade and investment deals, 100,000 visitors, 2,500 exhibitors, and participation from over 100 countries.
The fair will be held under the theme, “Global Africa Repositioned – From Market Access to Market.” It will feature diverse programmes, notably, trade exhibitions; AfCFTA-focused trade and investment forum; Global Africa Day, to strengthen ties with Africa’s diaspora; a B2B (Business-to-Business) & B2G (Business-to-Government) platform; Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) to showcase Africa’s creative economy; Sub Sovereign Governments Network for regional and local governments integration; special days for countries, public and private sector to showcase their trade and investment potentials, tourism and cultural highlights; Africa Automotive Show; AU Youth Start-up pavilion for African youth start-ups; and Africa Research and Innovation Hub (ARIH) for the academia and researchers.
President of Afreximbank, Dr. George Elombi, said when the bank proclaimed Nigeria as the host of IATF2027, it knew “an elephant had been cited”.
Elombi express satisfaction that Nigeria accepted to host the trade.
According to him, from the success recorded at Afreximbank’sannual meeting held in Abuja, June last year, “The success of the IATF in Lagos is already assured. But someone had to deliver the elephant to us, and someone had to deliver Nigeria to us. That is the person of the president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“To him (Tinubu) we owe our gratitude, and to him we look up for the success of the IATF2027. We are assured that President Tinubu will deliver the elephant to us. That is why we are here today.”
Tinubu, who was represented by Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, expressed delight at the opportunity for Nigeria to host the trade fair, saying Nigeria would do everything to ensure its success.
Oduwole said Nigeria was fully prepared to host IATF 2027.
She said Nigeria was committed to working with other partners and stakeholders to make the event a defining moment in terms of transforming the AfCFTA Marketplace, building trust for business communities, creating one African market, fostering international trade, and creating job opportunities for people in the African continent.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who chairs the IATF 2027 Advisory Board, commended Tinubu, Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the private sector operators, and others whose commitment was instrumental in accepting to host the continental trade fair.
In his remarks, Sanwo-Olu assured that the forthcoming CANEX 2026 and IATF 2027 would be the best on the African continent.
The governor expressed the commitment of Lagos State Government to make CANEX 2026 and IATF 2027 a masterpiece that will represent Africa very well.
Sanwo-Olu, who witnessed the signing of the agreement, expressed the readiness of Lagos for the historic IATF 2027, aimed at creating opportunities for trade and investments across the African continent.
He said the hosting of the fifth Intra-African Trade Fair in Lagos next year would be a defining time for Africa to take its rightful place in the comity of nations. The governor assured that Lagos State will put every necessary thing in place to ensure that the event was the best IATF to be hosted in Africa.
Sanwo-Olu stated, “We will do it knowing fully well that it is a time for Africa to take its rightful place in the global space. I want to assure you that the CANEX (Creative Africa Nexus 2026) event coming up in Lagos later in the year will be a masterpiece.
“It will be one of the biggest that you have seen because Lagos is not just a commercial economic nerve centre of our country; it is the entertainment capital of Africa, and we will bring our A-game to its fullness. You will see a CANEX that you have never seen before, and we will be true with our promise.”
The governor said, “For the big one, IATF 2027, we will ensure that not only would we put our best foot forward, we will also not disappoint all of you. The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is committed to the event. He had run this State (Lagos) at some point, and it is still the energy and the spirit of Lagos that he’s taken to the Federal Government. He has given both the minister and myself a marching order to ensure that next year at IATF 2027, Nigeria represents Africa very well.
“We will be doing it with everything we have. We will do everything possible to ensure that it will be the best IATF that we have seen on the continent of Africa. On behalf of the people and the government of Nigeria, we are excited. We are happy that they have given us this responsibility, and indeed Lagos will be playing host to the two big events.”
Held biennially, IATF provides a platform for businesses in Africa and the rest of the world to showcase their goods and services to visitors and buyers, while exchanging information and exploring opportunities. The fourth IATF2025, hosted in Algiers, Algeria, in 2025, was a resounding success with US$48.3 billion in trade and investment deals signed during the weeklong continental exposition event. It was attended by over 112,000 visitors (physical and virtual), from 132 countries. A total of 958 buyers also participated in the event.
IATF2027, which is the fifth edition, is expected to convene thousands of exhibitors, buyers, investors, and policymakers from across the continent and the diaspora, catalysing trade and investment deals, trade and market information exchanges, industrial partnerships, and cross-border investment aligned with Africa’s industrialisation and economic integration agenda.
The signing ceremony brought together senior government representatives, continental institutions, and business leaders, marking a significant step towards delivering a transformative trade platform for Africa.
Speaking at the event, representatives of African Union Commission and AfCFTA affirmed their commitment to work collaboratively with stakeholders to make the intra-African trade fair 2027 a success.
Oluchi Chibuzor
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