Brazzaville puts faith in AfCFTA platform
On Thursday, 4 September 2025, Algiers opened its doors to the fourth Intra-African Trade Fair, and Congo-Brazzaville made sure its flag was visible from the first minute.
Minister of State for Commerce, Alphonse Claude N’Silou, led the delegation on behalf of President Denis Sassou Nguesso, underscoring Brazzaville’s support for the African Continental Free Trade Area, better known by its French acronym ZLECAf.
The seven-day fair hosts more than 2,000 exhibitors, delegations from 140 countries and an expected 35,000 visitors, according to organiser Afreximbank, which projects up to 44 billion dollars in deals before the gates close on 10 September (Afreximbank press kit).
Why Algiers edition matters for Congo firms
Algeria is hosting the event for the first time, at the vast Pins Maritimes Exhibition Park, giving Central African businesses a rare Mediterranean showcase alongside heavyweights from Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa.
For Congolese exporters of timber, cocoa, palm derivatives and digital services, proximity to North African buyers means shorter shipping lines and lower logistics bills, a point Minister N’Silou highlighted in several sideline interviews broadcast on Télé Congo.
He noted that intra-African trade stands at only 15 percent of the continent’s overall exchanges, compared with more than 60 percent within Europe, and called the fair “an accelerator our small and medium enterprises cannot afford to miss”.
Several Pointe-Noire companies told our newsroom they plan to use the fair to negotiate joint-venture packaging units in Oran and Annaba, a move that could create new jobs once goods flow both ways across the Atlantic and Sahara corridors.
Debt relief gesture signals fresh momentum
During the opening ceremony at the Abdelatif Rahal International Conference Centre, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced the cancellation of 1.5 billion dollars in debts owed by 14 African nations, calling Africa “the world’s future continent”.
The statement drew applause from dignitaries including Tunisian President Kaïs Saied, Chadian leader Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El-Ghazouani and Libyan Presidential Council head Mohamed Younes El-Menfi.
Former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, who chairs the fair’s advisory board, later told reporters the gesture “sends a strong signal that intra-African solidarity is matching the ambitions of the AfCFTA” (local press pool).
Inside Minister N’Silou’s packed agenda
Upon arrival, the Congolese delegation was received by Algerian Commerce Minister Kamel Rezig before touring national pavilions covering agritech, creative industries and green energy.
Sources within the ministry say Brazzaville’s objective is to sign at least ten memorandum-of-understanding drafts, ranging from bulk rice procurement to the licensing of Congolese music on Maghreb streaming platforms.
A closed-door forum on trade finance gathered Afreximbank executives and Congo’s banking representatives to discuss a potential credit line tailored to SMEs, an idea officials describe as “promising but still under negotiation”.
Next steps for traders back home
Fair organisers provide a digital match-making platform allowing exhibitors to continue negotiations after September, a tool Ministry advisers intend to integrate into upcoming workshops in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire.
The government also plans a follow-up roadshow to help provincial cooperatives meet export certification standards, ensuring that the opportunities discussed in Algiers translate into concrete orders and jobs.
As crowds file past colourful stands and business cards change hands, Minister N’Silou insists the real metric of success will be “containers on ships and money in the bank for our producers”, a sentiment echoed by young entrepreneurs buzzing through the halls.
Regional partnerships and long-term vision
Congolese analysts stress that tapping North African ports could lower freight costs to European markets, indirectly boosting Brazzaville’s ambition to diversify away from crude oil revenue while aligning with the National Development Plan 2022-2026 championed by President Sassou-Nguesso.
Economic researcher Félicité Mabiala observes that trade fairs alone are not magic bullets but can “shorten the trust gap” between potential partners, especially when accompanied by transparent customs procedures and reliable energy supply at home.
Afreximbank’s latest report lists Congo among the ten Central African states poised to gain most from the AfCFTA if they upgrade rail links toward Gabon and Cameroon, a project already highlighted in the 2025 public-investment budget.
With the Algiers spotlight fixed on intra-African success stories, Brazzaville’s representatives aim to bring back both contracts and confidence, hoping the fair’s momentum will resonate in markets, classrooms and workshops across the republic.
