US$40 billion in partnership agreements expected at third intra-African trade fair
Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire (PANA) - Patrick Jérôme Achi, the prime minister of Côte d'Ivoire, Monday expressed delight that partnership agreements worth at least US$40 billion are expected in Abidjan at the third intra-African trade fair (IATF) scheduled for 2023 in his country.
Speaking at the signing of the agreement to host the event, the Ivorian PM also said that intra-African trade was the foundation for accelerated development of the continent.
The first French-speaking country and the first to host this fair, Côte d'Ivoire receives the confidence of the African import-export bank Afreximbank, whose chief executive, Professor Benedict Oramah, hailed the performance.
"We again say congratulations and hope that we can continue to work closely together until the event opens and closes here in Abidjan next year," Prof. Oramah said.
He continued that in recent years, the country had been an example of political and economic governance. The Ivorian economy has remarkably been one of the three in Africa and among the top five in the world to have enjoyed the fastest economic expansion, growing at 8 per cent per annum during the decade of the 2010s.
It is therefore no surprise that the economy has almost tripled during this period, the Afreximbank boss said.
The diversity of the economic expansion is also remarkable. The focus on agriculture and agro-industry has not only ensured broad-based and inclusive economic gains, but also created a niche for higher value-added exports to other parts of the continent under the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
Côte d'Ivoire is therefore in a very good position to benefit from hosting the Intra-African Trade Fair, Prof. Oramah stressed.
Between 15,000 and 20,000 participants are expected to attend the third edition of this fair scheduled from 21 to 27 November 2023 at the Exhibition Park in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
The IATF is an initiative put in place within the framework of the operationalization of the AfCFTA by the African Union, in partnership with Afreximbank, with a view to promoting intra-African trade.
-0- PANA IT/IS/BBA/RA 28March2022
