As Africa moves closer to realizing the full potential of its historic free trade agreement, Kenya continues to emerge as a driving force behind the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The recent Kenya IATF2025 Business Roadshow held in Nairobi served as a powerful testament to the country’s commitment to fostering intra-African trade, with government officials and business leaders outlining bold strategies to position Kenya as a continental trade and innovation powerhouse.
According to Lee Kinyanjui, Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade, and Industry, speaking during the roadshow, themed; Harnessing Regional and Continental Value Chains: Accelerating Africa’s Industrialisation and Global Competitiveness under the AfCFTA, Kenya intends to lead the charge as Africa looks to the transformative power of intra-African trade in unlocking jobs, industrial growth, and sustainable development.
“The solutions to Africa’s problems lie with Africans. It is essential for countries within the continent to strengthen intra-African trade. The IATF 2025 offers a vital platform to advance the AfCFTA agenda. With a well-educated population, abundant resources, and banks ready to finance investment, Africa has what it takes to elevate itself to the next level.,” he said.
The roadshow, organized in collaboration with Afreximbank and the African Union Commission, brought together over 200 stakeholders, including manufacturers, tech entrepreneurs, policymakers, and investors, all united by a common goal: to harness AfCFTA’s potential. Discussions focussed on strengthening regional value chains, boosting industrialization, and eliminating trade barriers that have long hindered Africa’s economic integration.
A key focus of the discussions was bridging information gaps that hinder intra-African trade. A striking example of these missed opportunities was highlighted by Mr. Haytham Elmaayergi, Afreximbank’s Executive Vice President, who revealed that North African nations spend hundreds of millions importing leather goods from Europe and South America—while East African producers struggle to access those markets.
“One of the key objectives of the IATF is to address access to trade and market information for intra-African trade to take place. For instance, as a result of a lack of information on African production and supply, countries like Tunisia, Morocco and South Africa import in excess of around Sh51.80 billion ($400 million) worth of leather products, mainly from Europe and South America, while countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, and Sudan—which have the supply capacity to meet a substantial part of this demand—continue to export their leather products to markets in Europe and Asia,” Mr. Haytham Elmaayergi said.
With the country among the leading in terms of digitalisation and innovation, both within the region and across Africa, IATF offers an opportunity for its fintech companies, mobile money innovators and other technology companies to come together and showcase their ingenuity to diverse sectors on the continent.
The roadshow is part of a five-series with the next planned for Accra, Johannesburg, Lagos and Algiers ahead of the fourth edition of the biennial Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2025) that will be held in Algiers (4–10 September 2025).
The trade fair is set to be the continent’s premier trade and investment showcase, building on the success of past editions that generated over Sh12.95 trillion ($100 billion) in deals. This year’s event, themed “Gateway to New Opportunities,” will feature sector-specific exhibitions, high-level investment forums, and specialized programs like the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) and the Africa Automotive Show. Additionally, initiatives such as the AU Youth Start-Up Program and the African Sub-Sovereign Governments Network (AfSNET) will spotlight grassroots innovation and local economic development.
Kenya’s proactive stance highlights the shift in Africa’s economic narrative, from fragmentation to integration, from raw material exports to value-added production, and from reliance on foreign markets to intra-African trade. As the countdown to IATF2025 begins, it is clear that AfCFTA is not just another African project, but a blueprint for prosperity.
