The Minister of Foreign Trade and Export Promotion, Kamel Rezig, presided on Friday over the launch of the fourth annual African Business Fair “SADA 2026” in Algiers. Focused on solidifying continental economic ties, the event’s significance was underscored by a remarkably robust international turnout.
During his opening address, the minister emphasized that this year’s iteration, themed “Connecting Innovation and Production to African Markets,” reflects a shared determination to foster a more unified African economy—one capable of leveraging its human talent and natural wealth into engines of sustainable progress.
The gathering took place in the presence of various African ambassadors, convening 51 Algerian corporations alongside commercial operators from more than twenty-seven nations across the continent. This diverse attendance solidifies the event’s growing reputation as a premier hub for dialogue and trade collaboration.
Rezig noted that Algeria, guided by the directives of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, places a strategic premium on deepening economic integration within its African neighborhood. This blueprint relies heavily on expanding intra-African trade, stimulating manufacturing investments, reinforcing continental supply chains, and forging alliances rooted in mutual benefit.
The minister further remarked that his administration is actively driving several initiatives and frameworks tailored to assist Algerian firms in penetrating regional markets. The goal is to help them capitalize on the prospects unlocked by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), viewed as a crucial mechanism for continental economic advancement.
Commending the caliber of attendance this year, he observed that the turnout mirrors the escalating status of the African Business Fair within the continental arena, alongside a collective desire among business figures to cultivate fresh partnerships across multiple industries.
On this occasion, Rezig urged attendees to fully exploit this professional forum to anchor long-term alliances, exchange expertise, and pinpoint novel cooperative and investment avenues designed to serve the development and prosperity of African populations.
Following the inaugural proceedings, the minister, flanked by several African diplomats, toured the various exhibition pavilions, where he reviewed the showcased commodities, services, and corporate projects on display.
It is worth noting that previous iterations similarly drew major public industrial conglomerates, leading private enterprises, and small-to-medium businesses, alongside economic boards and institutions dedicated to investment and export promotion. This diverse ecosystem has cemented the exhibition’s role as a major African nexus for economic exchange and alliance-building.
The fourth edition builds on this momentum, offering an agenda packed with corporate match-making sessions and panel debates tackling pivotal themes. These include intra-African commerce, the AfCFTA, financing, domestic industrialization, innovation, entrepreneurship, and the broader economic outlook for the continent.