Buhari leaves Paris for intra African trade fair in South Africa

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Saturday, left Paris for Durban, South Africa, at a special invitation by President Cyril Ramaphosa, to join other African leaders at the official opening ceremony of the 2nd Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) 2021 which takes place on Monday.

According to Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the event, holding from November 15 to November 21, was being convened by the African Export-Import Bank (AFREXIM) in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat.

Adesina said the theme of the Fair, “Building Bridges for a Successful AfCFTA” aimed at boosting trade and investment on the African continent.

He said it also promised to create the enabling environment for businesses to thrive on the African continent; bring to fruition the lofty ideas behind the creation of the AfCFTA by providing the platform to further identify and proffer solutions to challenges militating against intra-African trade and; generate market information needed to connect buyers and sellers on the continent.

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Adesina added that global businesses including non-African international brands were expected to key into opportunities generated by the fair, thereby attracting for the continent trade and investment deals worth $40billion.

Various Nigerian investors are already in Durban to take advantage of the event.

He said those on the President entourage to South Africa were Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Director General, National Intelligence Agency, Amb. Ahmed Rufai Abubakar and the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Segun Awolowo.

He said President Buhari was expected back in Nigeria on Tuesday, November 16.