Algiers, Algeria

The vibrant city of Algiers is abuzz with optimism and strategic economic discussions as the 4th edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2025) officially opened on September 3, 2025, at the International Conference Center. Running until September 10, this landmark event is assembled under the timely theme “Gateway to New Opportunities” and hosted by Algeria in close collaboration with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the African Union Commission (AUC), and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat.

The fair marks a significant milestone in Africa’s journey towards economic integration and resonates with a bold vision: transforming Africa’s economic landscape by boosting intra-African trade, deepening investment partnerships, and accelerating industrial growth. Bringing together over 2,000 exhibitors and delegations from 140 countries, along with an anticipated 35,000 professional visitors, IATF 2025 is poised to generate trade and investment deals exceeding $44 billion.

Algeria: The Strategic Host and Emerging Investment Hub

The opening day was marked by the high-profile “Algeria Day,” a special segment focusing on “Algeria: An Emerging Platform for Investment and Trade in Africa,” hosted by the Algerian Agency for the Promotion of Investment (AAPI). The event underscored Algeria’s evolving role as a critical regional investment hub, leveraging its strategic geographic position bridging Africa, Europe, and the Mediterranean, alongside its growing logistical and industrial capabilities.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s government received senior African officials, presidents, ministers, and business leaders with great enthusiasm — an endorsement of Algeria’s commitment to continental unity and economic development. The presence of these dignitaries highlights the fair’s vital role as a continental event fostering partnership and sustainable growth.

The Pulse of IATF 2025: Innovation, Connectivity, and Green Industrialization

Beyond Algeria Day, the week is packed with several key initiatives designed to reinforce trade and investment networks. Notable among them is the Global Africa Day, dedicated to strengthening Africa’s ties with global partners, alongside trade and investment forums, a mini-summit of African Investment Promotion Agencies, and showcases such as the African Research and Innovation Hub and the Africa Automotive Show.

A significant focus this year is placed on empowering young African entrepreneurs through the AU Youth Startup Program, which offers masterclasses, competitive pitching sessions, and networking opportunities designed to nurture innovation and connect startups with investors and policymakers.

The overarching push towards value addition and green industrialization encapsulates the continent’s forward-looking agenda. With Africa ranking among the fastest-growing economies but still grappling with commodity dependency and climate challenges, the emphasis on sustainable and innovative industrial growth symbolizes not just economic ambition but a commitment to safeguarding Africa’s future.

AfCFTA: Transforming Aspirations Into Reality

The showpiece of IATF 2025 is its embodiment of the African Continental Free Trade Area’s (AfCFTA) promise to unify the continent’s markets into a single economic space. His Excellency Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, delivered a powerful message during the opening remarks.

Acknowledging Algeria’s leadership and strategic importance, Mene detailed the profound progress the AfCFTA has already made. Intra-African trade remarkably rebounded in 2024 to $220.3 billion — a 12.4% increase from the previous year — as reported in Afreximbank’s African Trade Report 2025. This growth reflects the increasing confidence in Africa’s integration model.

Mene emphasized the shift in trade composition: African economies are moving away from mere primary commodity exports toward more industrial diversification, including machinery, motor vehicles, electronics, and chemicals. He highlighted the protocols underpinning the AfCFTA, including rules of origin, digital trade, and the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System, which facilitate seamless cross-border trade. The digital trade protocol, notably, opens promising avenues in e-commerce, fintech, and ICT services, long seen as engines for youth employment and economic empowerment.

However, Mene also drew attention to challenges that require collective focus: enhancing physical and air transport connectivity by fully implementing initiatives like the Single African Air Transport Market; ensuring no country or sector is left behind through support mechanisms such as the newly launched AfCFTA Adjustment Fund; mobilizing domestic resources and diaspora investment; and adopting green industrial strategies that integrate renewable energy and climate resilience.

Reflections on Africa’s Economic Liberation: Remarks by Prof. Benedict Oramah

Prof. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, eloquently articulated the historical and economic significance of IATF 2025 in his opening ceremony speech. He positioned the fair within the continuum of Africa’s liberation struggles — from political independence in the 1960s to today’s peaceful economic emancipation.

Highlighting Algeria’s role as a symbolic and active host, Oramah acknowledged the country’s economic transformation and its contribution to Africa’s integration agenda. He praised the exceptional organization that accommodated thousands of visitors and exhibitors, crediting Algeria’s recent infrastructure and development.

Oramah recounted inspiring success stories cultivated through IATF platforms — such as Tanzania’s Rufiji dam project, a $2.9 billion effort to improve energy self-sufficiency and agricultural productivity executed by African contractors and financiers; the rise of African innovators like Nigerian drone producer Ndubisi Arinze Eze; and transformative industrial partnerships fostering growth in tourism, industrial parks, and regional trade financing.

Central to Oramah’s message was the concept of economic empowerment as a new “struggle,” where ideas, innovations, and investments replace armed conflict, and where partnerships built on mutual respect drive Africa’s future. He envisioned IATF as a launching pad for young entrepreneurs from all corners of Africa to showcase their creativity and find meaningful support.

African Union’s Vision and Commitment: Remarks by Amb. Selma Malika Haddadi

Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Amb. Selma Malika Haddadi, delivered remarks emphasizing the alignment of IATF 2025 with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 — a blueprint for a prosperous, integrated, and peaceful Africa driven by inclusive growth and sustainable development.

She reinforced that this year’s theme — “Boosting Intra-African Trade for a Sustainable Future: Innovation, Value Addition, and Green Industrialization” — reflects Africa’s urgent need to transition from exporting raw materials to being producers and innovators of value-added goods and services.

Statistics cited indicated a steady increase in intra-African trade, which grew by 27% between 2017 and 2023, nearing $200 billion. Notably, manufactured goods dominate intra-continental trade at 45%, compared to 20% for Africa’s exports beyond the continent, underscoring the industrial potential of regional markets.

However, Haddadi noted that despite progress, intra-African trade represents only 15% of total African trade, highlighting untapped opportunities. She called for stronger commitment to translating agreements into action, underscoring the role of cooperation, investment, and reforms to boost connectivity, improve logistics, and foster an enabling business environment.

The African Union Commission’s active role at IATF, including programs such as the Youth Start-Up Pavilion and African Women in Processing Pavilion, underscores a strategic effort to ensure inclusivity and harness the dynamism of Africa’s youth and women entrepreneurs.

The Road Ahead: A Continental Marketplace for Inclusive Growth

As IATF 2025 unfolds, it stands as a powerful testament to Africa’s collective will and capacity to chart its own economic destiny. The fair not only serves as a marketplace for goods and services but also as an incubator for ideas, partnerships, and innovations that transcend borders.

Africa’s future economic transformation hinges on the continued momentum of AfCFTA, strategic investments in infrastructure and industrialization, and the embrace of green and digital economies. Crucially, the inclusiveness of this growth — integrating youth, women, small and medium businesses, and all regions — will determine its sustainability.

Algeria’s role as host symbolizes Africa’s bridging potential: geographically linking diverse regions, economically connecting markets, and ideologically uniting aspirations. As President Tebboune’s government and partners oversee this ambitious gathering, the hope resonates that IATF 2025 will indeed be a “Gateway to New Opportunities” — unlocking jobs, empowering enterprises, and fostering an Africa that is not just independent politically, but sovereign and prosperous economically.

With trade and investment deals expected to surge beyond $44 billion at IATF 2025, the event demonstrates that Africa’s marketplace is vibrant and ripe with possibility. The real victory lies beyond these numbers—in jobs created, industries diversified, innovators inspired, and the dreams of millions of Africans moved closer to realization.

The 4th Intra-African Trade Fair cements its role as a beacon of African integration, a catalyst for industrial and green transformation, and a harbinger of a more inclusive, prosperous, and resilient continent. The journey from Algiers this September will echo across Africa and the world — Africa’s future is open, its opportunities vast, and its time is now.

On September 1, 2025, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Plus Meeting in Tianjin, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Governance Initiative. This initiative calls for countries to work together for a more just and equitable global governance system amid a world facing Cold War mentalities, hegemonism, protectionism, and mounting challenges. Xi emphasized the importance of sovereign equality for all countries regardless of size or wealth and insisted on abiding by international rule of law without double standards. He advocated practicing true multilateralism, promoting a people-centered approach where all people are beneficiaries of governance, and focusing on practical actions to achieve tangible outcomes.

Xi underscored safeguarding the status and authority of the United Nations and ensuring its irreplaceable role in the global governance system. He urged efforts to narrow the development gap between North and South and promote greater democracy in international relations. China is committed to deepening cooperation within the SCO framework by advancing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and establishing key platforms and centers for energy, green industry, digital economy, scientific and technological innovation, and education among SCO countries. Xi also announced plans to increase renewable energy capacity and foster collaboration in artificial intelligence and space exploration.

The initiative received wide support from SCO members and international partners, highlighting the need for a more effective governance philosophy in a world marked by governance deficits and unilateralism. Foreign Minister Wang Yi described the launch of the Global Governance Initiative as the biggest highlight of the SCO summit, noting its alignment with the UN Charter and its support for the UN’s central role in international affairs. This initiative marks Xi’s fourth major global proposal, alongside the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative, reflecting China’s vision for a stable, cooperative, and inclusive new world order.

Washington Healthcare, a key player in Ethiopia’s private health services sector, has announced plans to launch a new commercial health insurance company alongside a hospital service aimed at addressing the significant shortage of commercial health insurance in the country.

Markos Feleke (MD), CEO of Washington Healthcare, revealed that the company is in the final stages of forming a partnership with several leading medical institutions to establish “Family Health Insurance” (FHI). This new entity is designed to offer accessible and consistent healthcare coverage to individuals and families while enhancing service delivery within the private health sector — an area currently underserved in Ethiopia.

“One of the biggest challenges in the health sector is the lack of commercial health insurance,” said Markos. “Although community-based and social insurance programs exist, the absence of business-driven options is glaring. Our new company will be the first collaborative effort to build a robust and extensive insurance network spanning multiple medical facilities.”

The initiative has already secured initial capital and is now awaiting legal and regulatory clearances to commence operations.

The launch of Family Health Insurance coincides with a rebranding of Washington Healthcare, which unveiled a new logo symbolizing its decade of success and an expanded mission. Having served over 2 million patients in the past 10 years, Washington Healthcare is now set to broaden its range of services.

In addition to the insurance company, the new hospital under Washington Healthcare will be the first private facility in Ethiopia to offer a variety of specialty hospital services, reinforcing the company’s commitment to becoming an advanced healthcare service center.

Washington Healthcare also plans to make its successful digital health portfolio and best practices available to medical facilities nationwide, aiming to improve quality, transparency, and operational efficiency across the sector.

Businesses throughout Addis Ababa are facing a severe crisis, with many on the verge of shutdown due to ongoing disputes with the city’s tax bureau compounded by a series of new tax policy reforms. The private sector argues these reforms are fundamentally flawed, leading to growing frustration and mistrust between business operators and tax authorities.

This predicament was brought into sharp focus during a recent high-level Public-Private Dialogue (PPD) forum, which gathered representatives from government bodies, tax officials, business chambers, and accounting professionals to discuss the theme of “Tax & Customs Reforms, Implementations & Challenges.” The forum revealed a significant and troubling gap between the government’s stated goals—centered on fairness and efficiency—and the difficult realities businesses face in their everyday operations.

At the heart of the problem, according to a representative of the Ethiopian Association of Accountants and Auditors, is not the tax policy itself but the political and institutional environment governing its implementation. The reforms are intended to bring about fairness in taxation, yet the core challenges arise from political divisions and weak institutional ties. The country’s leadership, described as “two opposing leaders,” and the lack of cohesive institutions seriously undermine the efficacy of tax reform efforts, rendering even frequent policy tweaks ineffective if these foundational issues remain unresolved.

Echoing this deep concern, Awoke Asfaw of the Association of Authorized Accountants raised alarm about the independence of tax auditors within the Ministry of Revenue. He revealed that virtually all auditors belong to political parties, a direct contradiction to the principle that tax auditors must operate free from political influence. This political affiliation compromises their impartiality, impacting the majority of taxpayers who are subjected to decisions clouded by political interests. Such a lack of auditor independence fundamentally undermines the fairness and equality essential to any credible tax system.

The implementation of new tax laws has already become a major obstacle for business operations. Aychiluhim Kebede, from the Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations, illustrated this with the example of maintenance facilities that work in coordination with insurance companies. These businesses rely on contracts that stipulate fixed labor and material costs, yet have been pushed to the edge by tax demands. Aychiluhim highlighted the plight of numerous repair shop owners who have been forced to quit their work, left with no clear solutions despite assurances from tax authorities of coordination with the Ministry of Finance. This bureaucratic limbo leaves many businesses stranded and uncertain about their futures.

The forum also revealed fundamental flaws in the tax audit process itself. Business representatives pointed out the absence of a pre-audit system; businesses are obliged to submit their tax payments before any review takes place, after which the Ministry of Revenue can conduct audits at will without providing protections or safeguards for taxpayers. This unpredictable and often arbitrary approach fosters conflict and creates fertile ground for corruption, severely damaging the trust needed for voluntary compliance.

Numerous voices from the business community expressed concern about the disproportionate tax burden imposed on manufacturers and traders. One representative bluntly described it as unfair that these groups should bear heavier taxes simply to fund broad national projects. The Furniture Manufacturers Association specifically emphasized the strain caused by the introduction of a quarterly tax payment system, which imposes significant financial strain on capital-intensive sectors. They explained how a business might report a profitable year due merely to asset sales rather than operational gains, resulting in burdensome tax bills in subsequent quarters and threatening future investment prospects.

Opposition also came from the construction and oil refining sectors regarding newly introduced mandatory corporate social responsibility (CSR) payments framed as additional taxation, which these industries view as an unwelcome financial imposition lacking transparency.

Beyond policy specifics, the private sector decried the complexity and unpredictability of tax and customs procedures, which slow down business activities, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. This complexity, combined with rising prices and security checkpoints that hinder fair competition, is making the entire business environment increasingly difficult to navigate. Furthermore, frequent failures and outages in electronic tax and customs systems further frustrate taxpayers and hamper the government’s modernization efforts, fueling resentment rather than building confidence.

Government officials attending the forum acknowledged these challenges candidly. Mulay Woldu, Director of Taxation at the Ministry of Finance, admitted that Ethiopia’s tax policies had seen little substantial change in over three decades and that the tax-to-GDP ratio had steadily declined, reaching a low 6.3% in the 2024/25 fiscal year. He outlined recent reforms, including alterations to excise tax, value-added tax (VAT), income tax, and the introduction of a minimum alternative tax designed to align the tax system with Ethiopia’s current economic conditions. However, he also recognized that awareness and understanding of tax reforms were poor across both taxpayers and tax officials, resulting in both parties often ignoring the broader goals of the reforms.

Yoseph Shiferaw, Director of Tax Compliance at the Ministry of Revenues, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to modernizing the tax system through technology upgrades and enhanced manpower. He stressed the importance of addressing the knowledge gap among taxpayers to ensure compliance and combat tax evasion more effectively.

Genet Abraham, Director of Customs Compliance at the Ethiopian Customs Commission, provided details of initiatives such as recognizing original invoices to expedite customs clearance and expanding electronic “single window” systems designed to improve operational efficiencies and transparency.

Private sector participants called for the publication of comprehensive tax guidance manuals as well as meaningful engagement with businesses before any reforms are introduced. They urged improvements in audit practices, insisting these be overseen by an independent body to ensure impartiality. Most notably, participants advocated lowering the current tax appeal guarantee money requirement from 50% to 20%, alongside permitting the use of bank guarantees, as critical protection measures for taxpayers’ rights. The establishment of an independent judicial mechanism to adjudicate tax disputes fairly and transparently was another key recommendation advanced during the dialogue.

Enhancing digital platforms, bolstering the Single Window Customs System, and delivering clear, timely information to taxpayers also featured prominently as necessary improvements to restore confidence in the tax ecosystem.

While government officials reiterated that the reforms were guided by sincere intentions to promote fairness within Ethiopia’s tax system, discussions highlighted what many described as the largest gap between policy concept and everyday policy implementation.

Deputy Commissioner Muluwork Derese of the Customs Commission detailed ongoing modernization measures aimed at providing simple, efficient, and competitive customs services. These include digitizing file entry, execution processes, and document management systems, expanding online services, and extending the electronic single window approach to boost operational transparency and speed.

However, she cautioned that tax reform cannot succeed without concurrent efforts to resolve the political and institutional issues plaguing the system, especially those stemming from the lack of auditor independence, regulatory complexity, and insufficient consultation with stakeholders.

Her final assessment was sober: until these fundamental challenges are adequately addressed, tax laws and decrees will continue to serve as mechanisms for conflict and corruption, rather than catalysts for sustainable economic growth.

The forum attracted participation from a wide array of government ministries, tax authorities, the Ethiopian Customs Commission, chambers of commerce, and various business associations. The key objective was to identify the root causes of problems within the tax and customs systems, provide a platform for the business community to voice concerns, and develop actionable recommendations aimed at fostering a fair, transparent, and efficient trade and investment environment.

Meseret Molla, Secretary General of the Addis Chamber, underscored the critical role that public-private dialogue forums play in building trust and cooperation between government and the business sector. He emphasized the importance of these platforms in addressing pressing issues like agricultural customs, which significantly impact government tax collection accuracy. Meseret affirmed Addis Chamber’s commitment to continuously organize such discussions until concrete policy implementations materialize that genuinely benefit the business community.

Natnael Melaku, General Manager of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ethiopia, commended the government for its broad economic reform agenda, noting its importance for private sector growth and the overall economy. Nonetheless, he acknowledged that AmCham members continue to face significant challenges related to tax administration inefficiencies and cumbersome customs procedures, including problems with transparency and operational effectiveness. Natnael expressed optimism that the government would swiftly resolve these issues, reflecting the private sector’s urgent desire for quick and efficient reform.

He emphasized that tax reform should extend beyond merely raising revenues; it must serve as a powerful tool to shape the business environment and accelerate private sector development. Referencing international evidence, he noted that successful tax reforms simplify complex systems, promote innovation, enable governments to mobilize resources effectively, and create conditions conducive for private sector growth.