Special Report from Algeirs Algeria
President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, kicked off on Thursday, at the International Centre of Conferences (CIC) “Abdelatif Rahal,” the works of the 4th Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2025). President urged on Thursday African countries to unite their efforts to enable the continent to contribute to international economic decision-making and to emerge from marginalization.
The official opening ceremony was attended by participating Heads of State and delegations’ leaders, senior government officials, and the government’s members.
The first day’s agenda at the CIC features “Algeria Day,” organized by the Algerian Investment Promotion Agency (AAPI). This will include sessions showcasing Algeria’s reforms and investment opportunities, while highlighting the country’s role in regional and global value chains.
Algiers is hosting, from 4th to 10th September, the 4th IATF under the slogan “Gateway to New Opportunities,” bringing together delegations from 140 countries and over 2,000 companies from Africa and beyond, including nearly 200 Algerian companies.
About 35,000 professional visitors are expected to attend this edition, which is expected to result in the conclusion of commercial and investment agreements valued at USD44 billion.
The program of the event, organized by Algeria, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) which initiated this trade fair, the African Union Commission, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, features multiple themes and activities.
While charing the 4th Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2025), hosted by Algeria, the President made a precise assessment of Africa’s economic situation and presented his vision to harness the continent’s potential, which remains, he said, “excluded from international economic decision-making due to its marginalization within the majority of international economic, trade, and financial institutions.”
The President mentioned Africa’s small shares in these institutions, recalling that its voting rights at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) do not exceed 6.5%, the lowest within that organization, while its share at the World Bank does not exceed 11%.
Regarding the World Trade Organization (WTO), he said that “despite Africa obtaining the position of Director-General of this organization for the first time in its history, this achievement does not hide the reality: Africa’s influence in decision-making within the WTO remains marginal.”
He made a similar observation about Africa’s share in world trade, stating it barely exceeds 3%, “which is insignificant compared to the resources it holds, representing 30% of the world’s natural resources, in addition to a population of over 1.5 billion, making it a huge emerging market.”
The President recalled that Africa’s share of global investment flows does not exceed 94 billion dollars per year, “the lowest share in the world.”
Moreover, intra-African trade “remains limited to 15%” compared to 60% for intra-European trade, a situation that “deprives our economies of significant growth opportunities and the creation of millions of jobs for our youth,” the President said.
Discussing the “severe lack of transport, energy, communication, and financing infrastructures” that Africa suffers from, the President said that these facts “should not weaken our determination but should serve as additional motivation to mobilize our collective capacities and turn our continental reality into a development success.”
He highlighted Algeria’s efforts to address these shortcomings and contribute to meeting the challenge for the benefit of current and future generations through several major structural mega-projects benefiting the continent, including the Trans-Saharan road, the gas pipeline linking Algeria and Nigeria, and the Trans-Saharan fiber optic backbone project that strengthens digital sovereignty, as well as launching air and maritime connections between African capitals, opening branches of Algerian banks in several African countries, among other projects.
Distinguished Participation of the Algerian Investment Promotion Agency at IATF 2025
Reaffirming Algeria’s solidarity toward other African countries, the President said that “Algeria is proud to have contributed, since its independence, to the training of no fewer than 65,000 African executives, convinced of the importance of working for the continent’s development,” adding that Algeria acts “silently.”
He said that Algeria “grants annually 8,000 scholarships to African brothers, enabling them to access universities, institutes, and centers of excellence in mathematics, robotics, nanotechnologies, and artificial intelligence.”
For the President, the African continent represents the future, thanks to the potential of its youth. “Africa is a young continent, unlike other continents that have entered a phase of aging,” the President said.
President Tebboune highlighted the importance of building integrated transport, energy, and digital networks, expanding intra-African trade, creating free trade zones, and investing in African talent through scholarships and professional training programs.
He also called for practical action, urging governments, private sector actors, and entrepreneurs to collaborate, remove barriers, optimize value addition, and invest in African resources to ensure sustainable economic transformation.
He said, Through Algeria’s initiatives and continental partnerships, the African Free Trade Zone is positioned as a launching pad for growth, job creation, and Africa’s stronger role on the global stage.
