IATF2025: PAMA Showcases Mission, Made-in-Africa products, others
The Pan-African Manufacturers Association (PAMA) marked a major milestone at the 4th Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2025) in Algiers, Algeria, held from September 4–10, 2025, as the event reinforced PAMA’s mission: advancing intra-African trade, showcasing Made-in-Africa products, and strengthening industrial collaboration across the continent, write Editor Gentechnews, Tony Nwakaegho.
The Pan-African Manufacturers Association (PAMA) participated at the 4th Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2025) in Algiers, with a dedicated pavilion with companies in pharmaceuticals, chemicals, tech manufacturing, construction materials, and consumer goods.
The Pavilion served as a buzzing hub of business-to-business deals and policy conversations with high-profile visitors and influential figures, which included: Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, former President of Nigeria & Chairman of the IATF Advisory Council; Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, MFR, Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, who praised manufacturers’ role in African development, as well as Afreximbank representatives, underscoring financial backing for African trade and industrialisation.
However, PAMA’s engagement at IATF2025 extended far beyond the exhibition floor, as the Association took part in high-level policy sessions and strategic side events, which included the Africa Automotive Show, SME and exporters’ forums, industrialisation ecosystem dialogues, AfCFTA implementation sessions, and the Africa Caribbean Business Council exchange.
Through this active participation, PAMA reinforced its role as more than a trade promoter, as it positioned itself as the collective voice of Africa’s manufacturers, shaping the policies and frameworks that will drive the continent’s industrial future.
The Association maintained that this advocacy dimension was crucial because in a global economy where industrial policy, trade rules, and investment incentives increasingly determine competitiveness, PAMA has ensured that the realities of African manufacturers, large and small, are represented in the conversations that matter most.
The Association’s interventions pushed for more integrated value chains, fairer market access, and accelerated AfCFTA rollout, while highlighting the need to unlock finance and technology for industrial growth.
The impact was reportedly tangible, as the exhibitors opined that the Fair delivered trade and investment leads that could translate into new contracts and partnerships.
On the part of the Association, it reinforced continental visibility and established PAMA more firmly as a partner in AfCFTA implementation.
Most significantly, PAMA’s role at IATF2025 signaled that Africa’s manufacturers are not passive participants in globalisation—they are active agenda setters for Africa’s industrialisation.
“By bridging advocacy with enterprise, PAMA successfully demonstrated that trade fairs can be more than showcases of products; they can be platforms for shaping policy, building industrial ecosystems, and driving the structural transformation that Africa urgently needs.
“PAMA has already begun documenting trade leads and circulating them to members. Early preparations for IATF2027 are underway, with plans to expand the Pavilion into a larger, more impactful platform,” it emphasized.