This year’s edition attracted over 112,000 physical and virtual visitors from 132 countries, alongside 958 registered buyers and 2,148 exhibitors and culminated in a record US$48.3 billion in agreements. Former President of Nigeria and Chairman of the IATF2025 Advisory Council, His Excellency Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, expressed a profound “sense of accomplishment and feeling of satisfaction” at the outcome. He stated that the trade fair had surpassed all targets. “More than being just a trade fair, IATF2025 was a testament to a more integrated and prosperous Africa,” he said. “It has sown the seed of future prosperity for our shared vision of an economically integrated Africa."
However, while many countries secured major deals, others, like Botswana, focused on building strategic connections. Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship, Tiroeaone Ntsima, said that even though they did not sign any specific agreement, they built necessary relationships. Instead, he stated they used the Fair to catch up on the latest developments in African trade and investment promotion and to explore market opportunities for Botswana products "We went to participate in dialogues shaping Africa’s investment and trade promotion landscape and market Botswana as an ideal destination for investment," Ntsima said following the conclusion of the IATF2025. The event’s robust programme extended beyond the core trade exhibition to include a four-day trade and investment forum, the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) programme for creative industries, and the Africa Automotive Show. Nine Special Days were hosted by countries and organisations, including an IATF2025 Global Africa Day and Country Days for nations including Algeria, Kenya, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe. Strategic business matchmaking programmes were held to facilitate partnerships, while initiatives like the African Union Youth Start-Up Programme focused on fostering the next generation of innovators. Several key institutional outcomes emerged from the event, including the landmark decision to institutionalise the Intra-African Trade Fair as a stand-alone treaty-based entity, IATFCO, with its headquarters established in Harare, Zimbabwe.
