Ahmed Attaf: “Africa Will No Longer Play Secondary Roles” as Algeria’s Strategic Hosting of IATF 2025 Signals a New Continental Ambition
✍️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada
Algiers – September 2025 – In a resolute and forward-looking address, Algeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, the National Community Abroad, and African Affairs, Ahmed Attaf, declared that “Africa will no longer play secondary roles”, affirming the continent’s determination to shape its own destiny and reclaim its rightful place within the international order. Speaking at a press conference following the conclusion of the 4th Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2025), hosted in Algiers from September 4 to 10, Attaf presented a detailed assessment of what he described as a “continental milestone” in Africa’s economic renaissance.
The event, which drew heads of state, senior officials, and economic actors from across Africa and beyond, was hailed by the Algerian diplomat as the most successful edition since the inception of IATF, generating record-breaking figures and strengthening Algeria’s role as a hub for African integration.
A Strategic, Not Circumstantial, Decision
Attaf dismissed any suggestion that Algeria’s hosting of the fair was incidental. “The decision to host IATF 2025 was neither accidental nor circumstantial. It was the product of careful reflection, strategic vision, and a sovereign decision aligned with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s determination to ensure Algeria assumes its responsibilities in the success of Africa’s economic integration project,” he declared.
For the minister, the choice to bring IATF to Algiers was grounded in three principles: Algeria’s responsibility to actively contribute to continental integration; the conviction that economic development is the cornerstone of stability and peace; and the ambition to spotlight Africa’s potential for intra-continental cooperation and investment.
“Africa Will No Longer Accept Subordination”
At the heart of Attaf’s message was a powerful continental claim: Africa, he said, “will no longer accept to suffer the current international order as an inevitability.” Rejecting the notion of marginalization, he emphasized that the continent “refuses to play secondary roles” within global institutions such as the WTO, the IMF, and the World Bank.
Instead, Africa aspires to partnerships “based on equality, mutual respect, and equitable benefit-sharing.” Current challenges, he argued, are not fatal obstacles but catalysts to strengthen African unity, consolidate sovereignty, and build sustainable foundations for prosperity.
Africa’s Progress: From Symbolism to Substance
To illustrate the continent’s advancing role, Attaf cited three significant achievements: the African Union’s full and permanent membership in the G20, the expansion of strategic partnerships with major economies such as Italy under the “Mattei Plan,” and the institutional consolidation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Afreximbank, and the African Development Bank.
“These are no longer ends in themselves but means to provide measurable value to Africa’s economic renaissance,” he said, underscoring a shift from rhetorical diplomacy to concrete results.
Record-Breaking Outcomes of IATF 2025
The Algiers edition of IATF set new benchmarks. According to Attaf, 49 African countries and 21 non-African nations participated, bringing total representation to 132 countries. The fair attracted 112,476 visitors — more than triple the forecast — including over 60,000 in person and 52,000 online. Exhibitors numbered 2,148, surpassing the initial target of 2,000.
Most notably, commercial deals worth a record USD 48.3 billion were concluded, alongside the identification of 987 professional buyers, exceeding the set target of 750. These figures position IATF 2025 as a watershed moment for intra-African trade, marking Africa’s growing appeal across strategic sectors such as agriculture, energy, infrastructure, health, mobility, finance, and digital innovation.
Algeria’s Own Gains: $23 Billion in Contracts and Negotiations
Algerian companies emerged as major beneficiaries. Attaf announced that USD 11.4 billion in firm contracts were signed by Algerian enterprises, with an additional USD 11.6 billion under negotiation or nearing finalization — bringing the national total to USD 23 billion. These results, he emphasized, reinforce Algeria’s export diversification strategy and its ambition to serve as a continental investment accelerator.
Launch of an African Startup Fund
One of the most symbolic outcomes announced was the launch of a Special Fund for the Financing of African Startups, an initiative of President Tebboune aimed at mobilizing the continent’s youth. This fund, to be implemented through the Algerian Agency for International Cooperation for Solidarity and Development (AACISD), will provide critical support to innovative African startups in fields such as robotics, digital technologies, renewable energy, nanotechnologies, and artificial intelligence.
“This initiative recognizes Africa’s youth as the true engine of the continent’s renaissance,” Attaf stated, highlighting the alignment of the fund with global technological revolutions that Africa cannot afford to miss.
At a Decisive Turning Point
Concluding his address, Attaf declared that Africa stands at a “decisive turning point.” The continent, he asserted, is no longer waiting for external solutions but is investing in itself, trading with itself, and building confidence in its own resources and talents.
“The Africa we want must be a full actor in today’s revolutions,” he insisted, “to impose itself, to secure an influential role, and to ensure its interests are respected.”
A Vision Beyond the Fair
While celebrating the exceptional success of IATF 2025, Attaf stressed that the event should not be seen as an end in itself but as the beginning of a long-term trajectory. The challenge ahead lies in transforming agreements into functioning projects, measurable results, and enduring prosperity.
For Algeria, hosting the fair was more than a diplomatic triumph. It was a strategic declaration of intent, positioning the country at the heart of Africa’s economic resurgence and signaling a continent no longer willing to be consigned to the margins of global affairs.
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