Algeria Hosts 12th Africa Investment and Trade Forum, Focus on Intra-African Trade
Image: Rass El Mal
Takeaway
The Africa Investment and Trade Forum presents a key opportunity for international investors to tap into the growing intra-African trade market. With the focus on implementing concrete partnerships, companies in sectors like manufacturing, agriculture, and technology should explore collaborations and investments that align with Agenda 2063's goals for economic integration and sustainable development. Investors should monitor the outcomes of B2B meetings for potential deals and partnerships.
The 12th edition of the Africa Investment and Trade Forum commenced in Algiers on May 9, 2026, with a broad participation of economic stakeholders, experts, financial institutions, and development organizations from across the continent and beyond. The forum, organized by the Arab-African Center for Investment and Development (CAAID) in partnership with the African Union (AU), Afreximbank, and the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), aims to bolster productive investment, advance intra-African trade, and foster economic integration within the continent. The event's theme is "Together, We Open Markets".
AFIC11, held in Algeria on May 10-11, 2025, aimed to strengthen economic and developmental integration across the African continent while aligning with the sustainable development goals outlined in Africa’s Agenda 2063. The forum brought together governments, investors, financial institutions, and civil society to discuss and activate strong partnerships that focused on the development of key sectors in Africa, contributing to inclusive and sustainable growth. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) serves as a crucial mechanism to support economic cooperation among African nations and drive industrial and trade development, ultimately improving the lives of people across the continent.
The forum serves as a unifying continental space for the exchange of expertise and knowledge, bringing together business leaders, investors, and representatives of economic and financial institutions, as well as chambers of commerce and industry and regional and international organizations, to examine cooperation opportunities and explore new prospects for shared economic growth. The organizers expect more than 2,000 participants, 250 exhibitors, and over 3,000 visitors from over 43 countries, both in person and online via Zoom. The forum will feature over 300 B2B meetings to foster collaboration and build strategic partnerships.
The forum aims to transition from exchanging views to implementing concrete partnerships, emphasizing productive investment and facilitating market access, aligning with the evolving African economy. This edition seeks to strengthen economic momentum within Africa and broaden investment and trade prospects, serving the interests of African countries and their international partners. The AU supports common positions on issues of interest to the continent and its people, peace, security, and stability, democratic principles and institutions, popular participation and good governance, and the protection of human and peoples' rights.
Looking ahead, the forum is expected to catalyze sustainable economic partnerships and strengthen joint efforts to achieve comprehensive development, aligning with the objectives of Agenda 2063, which prioritizes economic integration. The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) launched the “24 Priority Medical Products” and the “Roadmap for Regional Manufacturing in Africa” in 2025, an initiative aimed at reducing Africa's dependency on imported medicines, strengthening health security, and improving access to essential maternal, newborn, and reproductive health products.