The Intra Africa Trade Fair (IATF), where the theme was “The AfCFTA marketplace”, took place on 9-15 November 2023 in Cairo, Egypt. The fair, which welcomed a total of 1,615 exhibitors from 61 countries (including 42 African states) was organized by the African Union (AU), the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat and Afreximbank. A total of 28,000 individuals from 118 countries participated either in person or virtually. According to the organizers, the volume of the trade and investment banking agreements which were closed amounted to more than USD 40 billion.
During the fair, the booths provided the scene for many events covering different topics.The AU, for example, hosted Africa Integration Week, along with discussions on SME strategy and on the African Women in Processing initiative, whereas the AfCFTA Secretariat organized events on financing for industrialization and decarbonization and on the role of the private sector in implementing the free-trade zone.
PAQI representatives also attended
The Pan-African Quality Infrastructure (PAQI) actively shaped the fair. With support from the PTB project on “Strengthening Quality Infrastructure in Africa” and in cooperation with the AU Commission, PAQI organized a five-day programme. This comprised training sessions and panel discussions which took place as hybrid events at the booth which PAQI designed. “Codex code of practice, general principles of food hygiene and HACCP” as well as “ISO 13485, Medical Devices” are just some of the training sessions that took place.
Furthermore, the individual PAQI organizations coordinated lectures and discussion rounds concerning the role of each QI discipline. AFRIMETS, for example, gave a talk on the role of metrology in specific sectors, such as renewable energies, medicine or food safety. Accordingly, AFSEC reported on the role of electrotechnical standardization in selected sectors, and AFRAC highlighted the significance of accreditation.
ARSO organized two panel discussions on the harmonization of standards in the leather, textile and pharmaceutical sectors. In addition, representatives of PAQI and the AU Commission took part in events hosted by other organizers, such as the “Automotive Forum”, to emphasize the importance of well-developed QI to successfully implement the free-trade zone.
The fair provided PAQI with the right environment for networking, gathering information and also promoting the topic of QI and its significance for trade. PAQI has decided to reduce its very extensive programme when participating in the IATF in the future in favour of increasing its efforts towards events hosted by other actors. This will increase PAQI’s visibility and sharpen the focus on QI.
The next (fourth) IAFT will likely take place in Algeria in 2025.
Cover image © Kathrin Wunderlich
