Kenya has used the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) 2025 in Algiers to project itself as a continental trade hub, unveiling an ambitious package of infrastructure and policy measures designed to accelerate integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, flanked by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, led Nairobi’s delegation at the five-day gathering, where Kenya pitched its investments in transport, digital connectivity, and cross-border reforms as central to Africa’s economic future.
“Kenya is aligning its growth story with Africa’s integration story,” Kindiki told the summit. “Our infrastructure, our technology, and our people are all being prepared for a continental marketplace.”
At the heart of Kenya’s pitch were mega-infrastructure projects already reshaping regional trade corridors. The Lamu Port–South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor was presented as a multi-modal lifeline combining ports, roads, pipelines, and internet connectivity that anchors East Africa’s links to the interior. Plans for railway extensions under the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) would push the network beyond Uganda and into the Democratic Republic of Congo, creating, in Kindiki’s words, “a commercial bridge from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic.”
To dismantle bureaucratic roadblocks, Kenya is also rolling out one-stop border posts with Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Somalia, where customs and immigration officials will operate side by side. The reforms, officials argued, will slash delays and inject new efficiency into continental trade.
Kenya’s digital leap was another highlight. The DP revealed that the country has already laid 24,000 kilometers of fiber optic cable, part of a bold 100,000-kilometer network expected to be completed in under three years. This infrastructure, coupled with Kenya’s pioneering fintech ecosystem, positions the country as a key driver of real-time intra-African payments once the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) becomes fully operational.
Kindiki acknowledged Africa’s fiscal squeeze but urged governments to lean on public-private partnerships (PPPs) to fund strategic trade and digital projects. “Fiscal constraints are real, but innovation in financing can unlock the infrastructure Africa urgently needs,” he said.
The Kenyan delegation also stressed that continental growth must be inclusive. “For Africa to achieve prosperity, it must be inclusive across generations, gender, and regions. Women and young people must be deliberately included in our growth story,” Kindiki noted.
The summit closed with the announcement that Nigeria will host IATF 2027 in Lagos, continuing the fair’s rotational path across Africa North (Egypt, Algeria), South (South Africa), and now West Africa. With Kenya’s strong showing in Algiers, East Africa’s turn in 2029 is already being whispered, with Nairobi positioning itself as a natural candidate.
For now, Kenya leaves Algiers with enhanced visibility and a louder claim to be Africa’s gateway to trade and digital transformation.
