Source: IATF Harare headquarters: Zim at heart of African trade – herald
Michael Tome-Business Reporter
ZIMBABWE’s successful bid to host the headquarters of the Intra-African Trade Fair Company will position the country closer to the centre of Africa’s expanding trade network under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
This will create new opportunities for trade, investment and export growth. The establishment of the company’s headquarters in Harare signals confidence in Zimbabwe’s capacity to support the continent’s trade integration agenda and will elevate the country’s status as a regional trade and investment hub.
IATFCO was unveiled during the September 4-10 Intra-African Trade Fair 2025 (IATF2025) in Algeria, after Zimbabwe beat competitive bids from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Malawi, Zambia, and South Africa.
IATF, which has become one of the continent’s largest trade promotion platforms, brings together policymakers, investors, exporters and financial institutions from across Africa to facilitate trade deals, partnerships and market linkages.
The IATFCO headquarters in Harare will allow Zimbabwe to host regular trade exhibitions, conferences and business engagements involving stakeholders from across the continent.
This is expected to increase the country’s visibility as a destination for trade and investment while creating greater opportunities for local companies to access regional markets.
The headquarters will stimulate economic activity in Zimbabwe through increased business tourism, trade exhibitions and conferences.
Delegations, investors and trade institutions from across Africa are expected to visit Zimbabwe more frequently, driving demand in sectors such as hospitality, transport, logistics and professional services.
National trade promotion and development body ZimTrade says local companies will benefit from procurement opportunities linked to the operations of the headquarters and the various trade promotion events and exhibitions that the country will host.
“Hosting IATFCO headquarters reflects increasing confidence in the country’s ability to support Africa’s trade integration agenda, and it places Zimbabwe closer to the centre of efforts aimed at promoting trade across the continent,” said ZimTrade chief executive officer Mr Allan Majuru.
“Zimbabwe’s successful bid to host the headquarters of the IATFCO places the country closer to the centre of Africa’s growing trade network under the AfCFTA.
“The development will help strengthen Zimbabwe’s trade relations across the continent, attract investment and open more opportunities for local exporters.
“With the right policies and support for industry, hosting the IATFCO headquarters will also raise Zimbabwe’s profile as a destination for trade and business in Africa.”
Afreximbank will play a central role in the establishment and operations of the IATFCO headquarters in Zimbabwe.
The bank is a key partner behind the IATF co-convening, along with the African union Commission and the AfCFTA Secretariat.
According to Afreximbank, the IATF has now been institutionalised into a permanent entity, whose headquarters will be in Harare.
As part of this transition, Afreximbank has committed initial capital to support the establishment and early operations of the organisation.
The funding will be used to set up a permanent secretariat, develop operational structures and coordinate future trade fairs and related trade promotion activities.
Afreximbank has also indicated that partnerships with governments, financial institutions and private sector players will be encouraged to support the long-term growth and sustainability of the institution.
If supported by strong trade policies and industrial capacity, the presence of the IATF headquarters could become a strategic asset in Zimbabwe’s efforts to integrate more deeply into continental trade and unlock new export opportunities for local businesses.
“According to Afreximbank, the IATF has been institutionalised into a permanent entity known as the Intra-African Trade Fair Company (IATFCO), whose headquarters will be based in Harare.
“The bank will play a central role in the establishment and operations of the IATF headquarters in Zimbabwe, providing financial backing, institutional support and strategic coordination for the initiative,” he said.
Tourism Business Council of Zimbabwe (TBCZ) has since urged tourism and hospitality sector players to accelerate investment in accommodation infrastructure after the country secured the bid to host the IAFTCO headquarters.
According to TBCZ, one of the key conditions tied to the successful bid is that the host city must provide at least 20 000 hotel beds in the three-to-five-star category by the end of 2027.
Currently, Harare is estimated to have fewer than 11 000 beds within the three-to-five-star segment, leaving a shortfall of more than 9 000 beds, according to industry estimates.
The requirement is linked to Zimbabwe’s future role as the headquarters of the organisation that runs Africa’s IATF premier trade exhibition, which is organised by Afreximbank in partnership with the AU and the AfCFTA Secretariat.
TBCZ acting chief executive Mr Christopher Sithole said the development presents a major opportunity for tourism players to expand and upgrade accommodation capacity in preparation for increased business travel linked to continental trade events.
He encouraged industry stakeholders to refurbish existing hotel facilities, repurpose underutilised real estate assets into hospitality establishments and pursue strategic partnerships with property owners to expand room capacity in the capital.
“The requirement to reach 20 000 beds in the three-to-five-star category presents a significant investment opportunity for the tourism industry. Operators can upgrade facilities, repurpose real estate assets or enter into property management arrangements that allow the sector to quickly increase room capacity,” said Mr Sithole.
Beyond accommodation expansion, the development is expected to stimulate wider economic activity through increased demand for conference facilities, transport services, catering, logistics and other tourism-related services.
According to TBCZ, the scale of the opportunity is reflected in the impact of the most recent IATF hosted in Algiers in 2025, which generated US$48 billion worth of trade and investment deals.
The event attracted 112,476 conference delegates, trade visitors and media personnel, with participation from 132 countries and more than 2,100 exhibitors, highlighting the significant demand for accommodation and hospitality services during the fair.
Zimbabwe is expected to begin hosting sector-specific trade fairs in 2028, ahead of the full-scale Intra-African Trade Fair events scheduled to start in 2029.
The large-scale fairs will run for seven days annually in Zimbabwe until 2033, after which the country, as the permanent headquarters host, will alternate with other African countries to host the event.
This long-term hosting arrangement will create sustained demand for accommodation, business tourism services and conference infrastructure.
TBCZ is engaging local financial institutions to develop tourism-focused financing facilities aimed at supporting refurbishment, retooling and repurposing of tourism assets to expand capacity.
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