Nairobi will host the Africa Commerce & Industry Summit (ACIS) from 14 to 16 October 2026, the largest gathering of business leaders on the continent. With more than 5,000 participants from over 50 countries, the event aims to become the marketplace where "conversations become partnerships, partnerships become investments, and investments become economic growth," according to KNCCI President Erick Rutto.
AfCFTA at the Centre of Discussions
The central theme — "Driving Africa's Next Era of Trade" — places the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) front and centre. This agreement has created a single market of 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP of approximately $3.4 trillion. Yet intra-African trade currently represents only 15 to 18% of the continent's total trade — compared to 70% in Europe and 60% in Asia. This gap is both the problem to solve and the opportunity to seize.
A Potential $261 Billion Addition
The projections are compelling: the AfCFTA could generate average intra-African trade growth of 6.6% per year, potentially adding more than $261 billion to the continent's economy by 2028. For businesses in the Indian Ocean region, these figures open a concrete opportunity: simplified access to a unified continental market, with reduced tariff and non-tariff barriers.
Nairobi: East Africa's Reference Hub
The choice of Nairobi is no coincidence. The Kenyan capital has established itself in recent years as East Africa's leading commercial, logistics and financial centre, bolstered by the Port of Mombasa and rapidly expanding digital infrastructure. Nairobi has just been selected as the ITC's first regional headquarters outside Geneva — a recognition of its continental hub status.
Why It Matters
For Indian Ocean businesses — Mauritian, Réunionnais, Malagasy — the ACIS summit represents a unique opportunity to accelerate their integration into African value chains. The AfCFTA is moving forward, but its realisation depends on multiplying concrete partnerships between private actors. Being in Nairobi in October 2026 means gaining direct access to the network that will build Africa's economy over the next twenty years.
Sources: Breaking Kenya News, Africa For Investors, KNCCI.