In a bold step towards strengthening its economic footprint across the continent, Kenya is fast-tracking the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.
The move is aimed at unlocking new growth opportunities for Kenyan businesses within the broader African market.
Kenya Business Roadshow
Speaking at the Kenya IATF2025 Business Roadshow in Nairobi this week, the Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade, and Industry, Lee Kinyanjui, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to positioning Kenya as a regional trade, industry, and innovation powerhouse.
“The solutions to Africa’s challenges lie within the continent. It is essential that we strengthen intra-African trade,” Kinyanjui stated.
Hosted ahead of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2025), the roadshow brought together more than 200 participants from Kenya’s business ecosystem—including investors, policy makers, creatives, automotive industry players, and representatives from the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the African Union Commission (AUC).
Themed ‘Harnessing Regional and Continental Value Chains: Accelerating Africa’s Industrialisation and Global Competitiveness under the AfCFTA, the event focused on how to deepen trade ties and catalyse industrial growth across the continent.
The AfCFTA, which aims to create the world’s largest single market by connecting over 1.3 billion people across 55 countries, is seen as a transformative force for Africa.
In enabling cross-border trade, enhancing value addition, and attracting investment, it is expected to drive job creation, diversify economies, and foster inclusive and sustainable development.
Kenya to gain from AfCFTA.
According to Kinyanjui, Kenya’s well-educated workforce, access to natural resources, and growing investment in infrastructure and digital technology put the country in a strong position to benefit from the AfCFTA framework.
“With banks ready to finance investment and an innovation-driven private sector, Africa has the ingredients to elevate itself to the next level,” he said.
Afreximbank’s Executive Vice President, Global Trade Bank, Mr. Haytham Elmaayergi, highlighted how a lack of trade and market information remains a barrier to intra-African trade.
“For example, despite significant leather production capabilities in countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, and Sudan, African nations continue to import over $400 million worth of leather products from Europe and South America. Better coordination and awareness could unlock that demand locally,” he explained.
Elmaayergi also pointed to Kenya’s rise as a digital innovation hub as a significant opportunity. “Kenyan fintech companies, mobile money innovators, and tech firms now have a platform through IATF to showcase their capabilities and scale across borders,” he added.
The Nairobi event is one of five planned roadshows—alongside Accra, Johannesburg, Lagos, and Algiers—leading up to the IATF2025 scheduled to take place in Algiers, Algeria, from September 4–10, 2025.
Under the theme Gateway to New Opportunities, the fair will offer businesses from Africa and beyond the opportunity to exhibit products and services, explore partnerships, and access trade and investment information.
Since its inception in 2018, the IATF has evolved into Africa’s premier trade and investment platform, accelerating the continent’s economic integration under the AfCFTA.
“As Kenya positions itself to leverage these continental opportunities, the message is clear: “The future of African trade lies in collaboration, connectivity, and African solutions for African challenges.”
