SA urged to lead at IATF2025 as CANEX prepares to spotlight creative industries

Speaking at the IATF2025 South Africa Business Roadshow in Johannesburg, Afreximbank regional director for Southern Africa Humphrey Nwugo called for urgent action and strategic participation.

“South Africa must not only be present but take a leadership role at IATF2025,” he said, emphasising the country’s robust economic base, entrepreneurial dynamism, and institutional readiness to scale regional value chains.

One of the key highlights of the upcoming fair is the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX), a platform dedicated to promoting Africa’s booming creative economy. With segments spanning music, fashion, film, sports, gastronomy, literature, and visual arts, CANEX seeks to transform the continent’s cultural output into scalable economic ventures. For South Africa, known for its globally recognised creative talent and strong small business ecosystem, CANEX presents a critical platform for artists, entrepreneurs, and investors to connect and scale.

The event in Johannesburg attracted over 350 participants including policymakers, investors, creatives, and business leaders. It was themed Harnessing Regional and Continental Value Chains: Accelerating Africa’s Industrialisation and Global Competitiveness under the AfCFTA.

Secretary-general of the AfCFTA Secretariat Wamkele Mene said IATF2025 is vital for Africa’s economic transformation, particularly in light of climate change, global economic instability, and shifting trade dynamics. “We must urgently build integrated regional value chains, especially in high-growth sectors such as agribusiness, automotive, and the creative industries,” he said.

South African deputy minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Sihle Zikalala, echoed this view, describing the AfCFTA as a “historic opportunity” to drive job-rich, inclusive growth. “The IATF is more than a trade fair, it’s a tool for implementing policy through practice. South Africa has the entrepreneurial drive, infrastructure, and SMME base to lead this charge.”

Afreximbank director of Trade Facilitation and Investment Promotion Gainmore Zanamwe, highlighted CANEX as a flagship initiative to unlock Africa’s soft power and creative capital.

“Platforms like CANEX are not side events, they are central to Africa’s industrial future. Culture is commerce, and the creative economy is a core pillar of Afreximbank’s trade strategy,” he said.

Zanamwe also spotlighted the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), which enables transactions in local currencies, and financial instruments such as the Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA), designed to empower creatives and SMEs to scale.

IATF2025 is expected to host over 2 000 exhibitors, 35 000 visitors, and participants from more than 140 countries, with trade and investment deals estimated to exceed $44 billion. Since its inception in 2018, the fair has facilitated over $100 billion in deals, establishing itself as Africa’s leading trade and investment platform.

In addition to CANEX, IATF2025 will feature a trade exhibition, the Africa Automotive Show, a four-day Trade and Investment Forum, the AU Youth Start-Up Programme, AfSNET for sub-national trade and cultural exchange, and Global Africa Day celebrations.

Algeria’s Ambassador to South Africa, H.E. Ambassador Ali Achoui, welcomed South African participation, pledging streamlined visa procedures for African attendees and highlighting Algeria’s favourable economic indicators, including no external debt and top rankings on UN Sustainable Development Goals in Africa and the Arab world.

With IATF2025 fast approaching, stakeholders across the continent are urged to seize the moment. For South Africa’s creative sector, CANEX represents not only a commercial opportunity but a global stage to amplify the country’s cultural voice and economic resilience.