Egypt's Minister of Trade and Industry Ahmed Samir has held an extensive meeting with a delegation from the African Export-Import Bank, headed by Executive Vice-President Kanayo Awani, to discuss the bank's current and future projects and initiatives in the Egyptian market. The minister said that coordination is currently underway with the bank to host Cairo for the third edition of Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) 2023 next November, added that the ministry is keen to provide all possible support to come up with this important event in a manner that befits Egypt's position in the heart of the African continent. Samir explained that the exhibition aims to enhance intra-trade between various African countries and highlight investment opportunities available in the continent. The exhibition represents a unique opportunity for the gathering of representatives of major African companies and to conclude deals that achieve commercial, industrial and investment integration in the African continent, the minister elaborated, pointing out that it is expected that private and public sector companies representing all productive and service sectors from all African countries will participate in the exhibition. Samir added that hosting this exhibition comes within the framework of permanent cooperation between Egypt's Trade Ministry and Afreximbank to support Egyptian companies in the African continent in various sectors. For her part, Afreximbank's Executive Vice-President Kanayo Awani emphasized the strong relations that link the bank with the Egyptian government, noting that the IATF provides a tremendous platform for presenting goods and services and exchanging information on trade and investment in African markets, as well as it represents a strategic opportunity to promote and develop intra-African trade. The last session of the IATF, which was held in Durban, South Africa in 2021, witnessed contracts worth about $35bn, and was visited by about 13,000 business visitors. The exhibition is an Egyptian initiative, as Cairo hosted the first edition of this exhibition, which was organized by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, represented by the Egyptian Export Development Authority, in cooperation with the Afreximbank in December 2018, with the aim of supporting African economic integration efforts.
