(IATF) - From the 21st to the 27th of November 2023, Côte d’Ivoire will host the 3rd edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF). The major event is the continent’s premier business forum for private sector actors in Africa. This year is a great opportunity for businesses working in Africa’s cocoa sector as the host country, Côte d’Ivoire, is the largest producer of the commodity in the world.

Côte d’Ivoire, the land of cocoa, is set to welcome more than 1,600 vendors coming from all over Africa, as well as 35,000 visitors and buyers. It’s an unmissable event for African producers, traders and local chocolatiers to build long-lasting partnerships and discuss how to add value to cocoa beans through processing.

Côte d’Ivoire produces more than 2 million tonnes of cocoa a year, around 45% of the global production. The expertise of the local chocolate industry will be on full display, making it a unique opportunity for businesses to learn from Ivorian chocolatiers as well as cocoa producers coming from all over the continent.

Commercial exchanges between cocoa producers from different African countries can help the continent increase its processing capacity and add value to its raw materials. Currently, around 80% of Côte d’Ivoire’s national cocoa production is exported to Europe as cocoa beans.

These intra-African commercial exchanges at IATF 2023 will allow local chocolate companies like Cemoi to forge partnerships in new countries and boost sales across the continent. 

Moreover, at IATF 2023, the producers and chocolatiers will have the attention of the Ivorian authorities, who are well aware of the importance of this year’s event. During the roadshow organized in Abidjan last February, the Minister of Commerce of Côte d’Ivoire, Souleymane Diarrassouba, affirmed that the “3rd edition of the IATF will allow Côte d’Ivoire to promote itself across Africa”. He added that before the 2023 African Cup of Nations (CAN) there will be an African Cup of the economy in Côte d’Ivoire in the form of the IATF.

Côte d’Ivoire, which has implemented reforms around the production and exportation of cocoa, recently launched a traceability programme to ensure that the cocoa supply chain is sustainable. This initiative will help Côte d’Ivoire meet international environmental standards.

To increase cross-border trade, partnerships among African and Ivorian producers, governments, traders and chocolatiers will be a key focus of the IATF.

Organized by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the African Union Commision (AUC), the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the 3rd edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) will bring together buyers and sellers from across the world, allowing all parties to share information on trade, investments and markets, as well as financing solutions that can facilitate commerce to support and promote intra-African trade and the economic integration of the continent.

The IATF 2023 should generate more than $43 billion in business deals and investments. Private sector actors from all over Africa are invited to participate or reserve a stand by signing up online.