Algeria emerged as a dominant deal-maker at the 4th Intra-African Trade Fair, which closed on September 10, 2025, securing roughly USD 11.4 billion of the USD 48.3 billion in contracts announced at the week-long gathering. The business outcomes underscore Algeria’s commercial reach across energy, industry, mining, agriculture and services while placing the country at the center of conversations about how trade, industrial policy and green transition ambitions can be aligned across the continent.
The headline figures mask a varied portfolio of agreements that range from immediate trade and supply arrangements to longer-term project development commitments. Algerian firms reported deals and future export pipelines across conventional energy and petrochemicals, heavy manufacturing, food and pharmaceuticals, and nascent clean-energy value chains. Event organizers and Afreximbank, which co-convenes the fair with the African Union and the AfCFTA Secretariat, have made clear that converting headline totals into executed projects will require coordinated follow-up on financing, due diligence and cross-border logistics. The bank has pledged to track and help implement the transactions ahead of the next IATF in Lagos in 2027. 
Practical manifestations of those sectoral ambitions were visible at the ministerial and corporate levels. Sonatrach, Algeria’s state energy group, signed a memorandum of understanding with Kenya’s National Oil Company to explore upstream projects and to supply liquefied petroleum gas and refined products to the Kenyan market, while also planning joint studies on trading platforms and staff training. The agreement reflects a broader pattern of Algerian firms seeking regional markets for fuel supply even as they pursue diversification into higher-value industrial and energy transition activities.
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Conversations on low-carbon pathways featured prominently at the fair and in related announcements. Algeria has been actively advancing feasibility work and partnerships on green hydrogen, pairing domestic industrial demand with export opportunities to Europe through corridor concepts. Recent memoranda and pilot studies involving Sonatrach and international technology partners aim to link large renewable build-outs to electrolysis capacity for hydrogen and derivatives, while regional projects such as the proposed SoutH2 corridor remain central to longer-term export planning. Those initiatives position Algeria to compete for emerging hydrogen markets but also raise questions about timelines, grid integration and certification for low-carbon fuels.
Delivering on the IATF commitments will hinge on matching project design with finance and regulatory certainty. Observers note that many fair-room agreements require bankable feasibility studies, clear offtake commitments and permitted timelines before construction or trade flows begin. Afreximbank and the AfCFTA Secretariat have reiterated their intention to support deal implementation through targeted financing instruments and trade facilitation, an approach that will be tested as sponsors move from memoranda to procurement and contract execution. Local content rules, environmental safeguards, and workforce training are likely to determine how widely benefits from signed deals are distributed. 
Sustainability considerations will shape both the political and commercial viability of projects. The inclusion of renewable energy, green hydrogen studies and industrial modernization in Algeria’s portfolio responds to demand from buyers and financiers for lower-carbon supply chains. Greater emphasis on exportable green products could generate revenue and jobs while reducing domestic emissions intensity. The challenge is to ensure that near-term fossil fuel trade and new industrial contracts are structured so they do not lock in high emissions pathways and that social and environmental standards are embedded from the outset. Independent verification, clear procurement criteria and robust environmental impact assessments will be necessary to align trade outcomes with continental climate commitments.
IATF 2025 also reinforced the political momentum behind intra-African trade and economic integration. High-level attendance, the handover of hosting rights to Lagos for 2027, and commitments by Afreximbank to follow up on deals all signal a push to move from signed agreements to executed, bank-financed projects. For Algeria the immediate priority will be translating its headline share of contracts into visible deliveries, operational plants, cross-border shipments and accredited green projects, over the next 18 to 36 months. How well policymakers, financiers and private sponsors coordinate on permitting, financing and standards will determine whether the IATF’s commercial gains yield sustained industrial and sustainability dividends across the region.
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