Lagos To Host Fifth Edition of CANEX & Intra-Africa Trade Fair

Lagos, Nigeria, is set to host the fifth edition of the 2026 Creative African Nexus (CANEX) and the 2027 Intra-African Trade Fair.

The governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, officially signed the agreement for the city to host both events recently.

A programme of Afreximbank, CANEX, is designed to support Africa’s Creative and Cultural Industries (CCI) through the provision of $1b in funding, targeted at building financial, capacity-building, and market access support for the continent’s creative sector. CANEX 2026 will take place in Lagos from November 5 to 8, 2026.

The metropolitan city will also host the 2027 IATF themed, ‘Global Africa, Smart Trade – From Market Access to Market Power’ from November 5 to 11, 2027. IATF convenes about 100,000 visitors, 2500 exhibitors, and draws participants from over 100 countries.

IATF highlights programmes and activities such as the Global Africa Day to strengthen ties with Africa’s diaspora; a Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Government (B2G) platform; CANEX to showcase Africa’s creative economy, trade exhibitions, and the Sub Sovereign Governments Networks for regional and local governments integration, among others.

Present at the signing ceremony is the Pan-African Writers Association (PAWA), represented by the Secretary-General, Hon Dr Wale Okediran.

PAWA has participated in previous CANEX events, such as the African Publishers Prize, the Creative Writing Workshop, and the Book Fair, among others.

Other parties present at the event include the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the African Union Commission (AUC), and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat.