Egyptian businesses are encouraged to attend the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) in Cairo next month to take full advantage of the growth opportunities that the African free trade area has to offer, said Afreximbank’s IATF Bank Executive Vice President Kanayo Awani at the event’s media on Wednesday, Invest-Gate reports.

The November 9-15 fair will witness 47 countries hosting pavilions and over 110 countries participating, Awani said.

“The two previous editions of IATF held in 2018 and 2021 saw deals being closed in favor of Egypt totaling $4.11 bln and $6.13 bln respectively,” she added.

Awani touted opportunities in agribusiness, manufacturing, infrastructure, technology, healthcare and more. Dedicated events include the Africa Automotive Show and Industrial Day.

Mai Assal, the Chairperson of Egypt Expo and Convention Authority, said IATF 2023 under the “Connecting African Markets” theme stands as the sole pan-African B2B and B2C cross-sector fair. The event attracts African buyers, sellers, investors and trade bodies.

For his part, Director for Trade and Corporate Finance at Afreximbank Ayman El-Zoghby said the fair creates a unique chance to promote Egyptian exports, trade, and business ties with Africa. The buyers program identifies matchmaking opportunities.

Previous editions saw massive Egypt-related engineering, procurement and construction deals like a $3 bln Tanzania dam project.

IATF 2023 is expected to witness $43 bln in trade and investment deals agreed, following $32 bln in 2018 and over $42 bln in 2021.