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# [KENYA / AFRICA] Nairobi hosts 5,000 leaders for ACIS 2026 — AfCFTA shifts into high gear
- URL: https://businessoi.media/en/kenya-afrique-nairobi-accueille-5-000-leaders-pour-lacis-2026-lafcfta-passe-a-la-vitesse-superieure-en/
- Published: 2026-08-05T02:43:47.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-05T02:43:47.000Z
- Description: The Africa Commerce & Industry Summit gathers 5,000 decision-makers in Nairobi, 14–16 October. At stake: turning AfCFTA into $261 billion in gains by 2028.
- Author: Emmanuel TAOCHY
- Tags: Kenya, Afrique, Économie, Investissement, Revue matinale, #en

**From 14 to 16 October 2026, Nairobi becomes Africa's trade capital. The Africa Commerce & Industry Summit brings together more than 5,000 decision-makers from 50 countries around one goal: turning the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) into tangible trade flows. The prize? An additional $261 billion by 2028.**

## A summit built to match the market

Themed "Driving Africa's Next Era of Trade", the Africa Commerce & Industry Summit (ACIS) 2026 is the continent's most ambitious B2B gathering. Over 5,000 business leaders, investors and policymakers from more than 50 countries are expected at the Kenya Expo Centre. The agenda includes high-level policy roundtables, private deal rooms, qualified B2B meetings and sectoral exhibitions connecting enterprises with financiers.

## AfCFTA: vast potential, still under-exploited

The African Continental Free Trade Area covers a market of 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP of roughly $3.4 trillion. Yet intra-African trade accounts for only 15–18% of the continent's total exchanges — compared to 70% in Europe and 60% in Asia. Regional trade growth reached 5.5% in 2025, with projections pointing to 6.6% annual growth through 2028 and a potential $261 billion addition to African economies.

## Kenya, East Africa's commercial hub

The event coincides with the 60th anniversary of Kenya's National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) and the opening of the International Trade Centre's first regional office outside Geneva. KNCCI President Erick Rutto summed up the ambition: "It is a marketplace where conversations become partnerships, partnerships become investments, and investments become economic growth."

## Why it matters

For the Indian Ocean, ACIS is not a distant event: Mauritius, Seychelles and Madagascar are all AfCFTA members. Every deal signed in Nairobi in October represents a gateway to a 1.4-billion-consumer market. Indian Ocean businesses have every reason to send delegations — to capture commercial opportunities and attract African co-investment toward the region.

*Source: The Star Kenya, Breaking Kenya News — 1 August 2026*