Africa-Press – Tanzania. TANZANIA’S Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (JNHPP) on the Rufiji River is being hailed as a centerpiece of African cooperation as the fourth Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2025) opened Thursday in Algiers.
Leaders and officials attending the weeklong trade showcase said the 2.9bn US dollars project illustrates how collaboration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and regional financial institutions can turn ambitious ideas into reality.
Prof. Benedict Oramah, president and chairman of the African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank), told delegates that when Tanzania first proposed the project to generate more than 2,000 megawatts of power, improve flood control, and support farmers, it faced skepticism.
“International financiers, insurers, and contractors shunned the project,” Oramah said. That changed in 2018, during the inaugural IATF in Cairo, where Tanzania signed a contract with Egyptian firms Arab Contractors and El-Sewedy Electric.
Afreximbank arranged financing and guarantees with a consortium of African banks. “Today, Tanzania is self-sufficient in electricity, even considering exports, and the project stands as the largest intra-African engineering, procurement and construction project, financed solely by African institutions,” Oramah said.
The JNHPP, completed earlier this year after the commissioning of its final turbine in April, now delivers 2,115 megawatts of power. AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Keabetswe Mene called it “a game changer, the greatest achievement under the free trade area.”
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said the project underscores the importance of regional integration. “We are meeting here not just for an economic forum but to push the agenda of ensuring the continent is integrated,” he said in his opening remarks.
He echoed Mene’s concerns that Africans remain poorly connected, noting that many participants had to transit through Europe or Asia to reach Algiers.
Despite recent gains, intra-African trade remains low, accounting for just 15 percent of the continent’s commerce, according to official figures. Intra-African investment is around 6 percent, and Africa’s share of global trade decisions under the World Trade Organization is less than 3 percent.
President Tebboune blamed structural challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, which he said costs Africa at least 2 percent of its GDP annually. “Africa is still marginalized in global trade and financial institutions,” he said. “We need to see this potential transform our economies and create jobs for millions of young people.”
The IATF2025 is jointly organized by Afreximbank, the African Union Commission and the AfCFTA Secretariat. Organizers say more than 35,000 delegates and 2,000 exhibitors from 140 countries are expected in Algiers this week. Deals worth an estimated 44 billion US dollars in trade and investment could be concluded during the fair.
The gathering features a presidential summit, cultural showcases, and high-level negotiations. Distinguished guests include President Abdelmadjid Tebboune of Algeria, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who chairs the IATF Advisory Council, and former Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou, an AfCFTA champion, alongside several African and Caribbean heads of state.
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