South Africa's role in the African Continental Free Trade Area: opportunities ahead

South Africa is set to leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), reaffirming its commitment to harness its immense potential for driving local business growth and enhancing regional integration.

This sentiment was echoed by Humphrey Nwugo, the Regional Director (Southern Africa) at Afreximbank, during the opening of the IATF2025 South Africa Business Roadshow in Johannesburg, where he urged the nation to spring into action.

Nwugo said, “This is the time for South Africa’s public and private sectors to be strategically positioned to seize the immense opportunities that IATF2025 will present,” emphasising the need for immediate and decisive engagement.

The Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2025), scheduled to take place in Algiers from 4–10 September 2025, is anticipated to be a landmark event—providing a gateway to unprecedented trade and investment opportunities across the continent. Nwugo further outlined South Africa’s integral role in African integration, praising its robust economic foundations, entrepreneurial dynamism, and institutional capacity, which place it in a prime position to entwine itself within African value chains.

Speaking on the event's significance, Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, pointed to the pressing need for IATF2025 amid a backdrop of global instability and dynamic trade landscapes. 

“Despite these headwinds, Africa has the capacity to navigate the challenges, accelerate industrial development, and realise the vision of a fully integrated continent.” Mene underscored the urgency of cultivating regional value chains in sectors such as automotive and agribusiness, where there is considerable scope for fostering inclusive growth.

Sihle Zikalala, deputy minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, said South Africa's participation in the AfCFTA represents a historic opportunity to weave stronger economic ties with neighbouring nations.

“We view the AfCFTA as a catalyst for expanding market access for our goods and services while nurturing inclusive, job-rich growth,” Zikalala said.

At the heart of this discourse was a vision that IATF2025 should transcend its role as merely a marketplace, transforming instead into a strategic tool for bolstering policy and practical integration. Zikalala said, “through partnerships and public-private collaboration, we can develop world-class infrastructure across Africa while reducing our reliance on foreign exchange by trading in our own currencies.”

Over 350 business leaders, policymakers, and investors convened at the Roadshow, contextualised under the theme: “Harnessing Regional and Continental Value Chains: Accelerating Africa’s Industrialisation and Global Competitiveness under the AfCFTA.”

The event's agenda spotlighted strategies focused on enhancing resilient supply chains while amplifying intra-African trade—a critical element for unlocking tailored industrial opportunities across the continent.

According to the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and UN COMTRADE, South Africa’s robust trade activities recorded merchandise exports worth $110.5 billion against imports of $113.2 billion in 2023. Despite a modest trade deficit of $2.7 billion, trade constituted 65.7% of GDP, illuminating South Africa's deep-rooted integration within global markets. 

Afreximbank’s 2024 African Trade Report highlighted that South Africa exported $29.6 billion to African partners while importing $9.6 billion, with intra-African exports making up 26.8% of the total exports.

Dr. Gainmore Zanamwe from Afreximbank reiterated the organisation’s mission to foster seamless trade within Africa, detailing initiatives aimed at constructing an enabling environment. “Through platforms like the Africa Trade Gateway and the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), we are dismantling historical hindrances to intra-African trade,” Zanamwe said, highlighting the active role South African and Algerian firms will play within the regional value chains.

With projections anticipating over 2,000 exhibitors and 35,000 visitors at IATF2025, the fair is poised to generate an overwhelming $44 billion in trade and investment deals, providing South African businesses with an invaluable opportunity to lead the charge in regional industrialisation efforts. Algeria's Ambassador to South Africa,  Ali Achoui, extended a cordial invitation to South African companies, spotlighting Algeria’s economic resilience and commitment to facilitating an accessible and streamlined participation process.

With notable criteria including a trade exhibition, a creative showcase highlighting Africa's cultural dynamism, and a four-day Trade and Investment Forum, the forthcoming IATF2025 promises to be a cornerstone for fostering cooperative economic engagement and industrial growth across the continent.