Africa Automotive Show
September 04, 2025 - September 10, 2025
Africa Automotive Show: Accelerating the Pan-African Automotive Revolution
Africa is shifting gears. Across the continent, industrial strategies are no longer focused solely on extraction and export — they are looking inward, toward integration, innovation, and inter-African trade. The Africa Automotive Show, supported by the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers, and held as part of the 4th Intra-African Trade Fair in Algiers, Algeria, embodies this new industrial vision.
This event has rapidly become Africa’s premier automotive economic development initiative, with a clear and ambitious goal: to build a pan-African automotive value chain that empowers African nations to participate in every stage of the industry — from raw materials to final vehicle assembly and cutting-edge energy solutions.
From Vision to Action: Building Africa’s Automotive Ecosystem
Since its inaugural edition in 2018, the Africa Automotive Show has emerged as a unique platform for showcasing the continent’s growing capacity in automotive manufacturing and related services. More than just a trade fair, it serves as a catalyst for regional collaboration, enabling African countries to engage in strategic trade under the umbrella of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Why It Matters
Africa currently imports the vast majority of its vehicles and vehicle parts. Yet, the continent possesses abundant raw materials, growing energy solutions, and a young, dynamic workforce. The Africa Automotive Show aims to unlock this potential by:
Encouraging localized manufacturing and assembly
Promoting inter-African supply chains
Attracting investment in electric mobility and clean technology
Strengthening logistics and distribution networks
Reducing reliance on non-African imports
Held biennially and organized by RX Africa, the show rotates across different African cities to ensure inclusivity, accessibility, and continental impact. Its most recent iteration in Algiers provided a powerful demonstration of the automotive sector’s potential to drive industrial transformation in North Africa and beyond.
What Makes the Africa Automotive Show Unique?
Unlike other global auto expos that focus mainly on consumer trends or flashy prototypes, the Africa Automotive Show is rooted in economic development and industrial cooperation. It brings together a wide variety of stakeholders to address real-world challenges and opportunities facing African nations.
The Show Features:
Manufacturers of commercial and passenger vehicles
Suppliers of electric vehicle components such as motors, charging systems, and batteries
Part manufacturers for mechanical, electronic, and body components
Energy solution providers focusing on sustainable mobility
Government agencies and trade bodies looking to promote local assembly and production
Logistics and infrastructure companies supporting the automotive ecosystem
The Automotive Forum: A Hub for Strategy and Innovation
A defining feature of the Africa Automotive Show is the Automotive Forum, where leading experts, policymakers, and industry stakeholders gather to discuss the future of African mobility.
This space goes beyond presentations. It functions as a think tank for:
Analyzing global automotive trends and their implications for Africa
Designing policies to strengthen regional supply chains
Promoting automotive training and workforce development
Addressing barriers to scaling up electric vehicle adoption
The Forum’s discussions feed directly into strategic plans for economic development, making it a pivotal space for turning talk into action.
Empowering B2B and B2G Collaboration
In addition to its exhibitions and forums, the Africa Automotive Show acts as a bridge between businesses and governments. Through targeted B2B (Business-to-Business) and B2G (Business-to-Government) interactions, the event catalyzes the kinds of partnerships that turn ideas into factories, policies into supply chains, and dreams into jobs.
These partnerships often result in:
New assembly plants and supplier networks
Policy alignment across African regions
Investment agreements for infrastructure and industrial parks
Technology transfers from global partners to local producers
Exhibition Highlights: A Panoramic View of the Value Chain
The Africa Automotive Show is known for the breadth and depth of its exhibits. It’s not just about showcasing finished cars — it’s about understanding every step involved in producing, moving, and maintaining vehicles in Africa.
Key exhibition categories include:
Raw materials (metals, minerals, plastics)
Component manufacturing (engines, electronics, chassis parts)
Electric mobility components (batteries, charging stations, e-motors)
Complete vehicle assembly (commercial, passenger, electric)
Logistics and distribution systems
Vehicle accessories (interior electronics, safety gear, infotainment)
Maintenance, repair, and aftersales services
These categories reflect the show’s holistic approach to industrial development, recognizing that true automotive progress depends on interconnected sectors working in unison.
The Role of AfCFTA in Automotive Growth
A cornerstone of the Africa Automotive Show’s strategic importance is its alignment with the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). This landmark agreement offers a historic opportunity for African countries to trade more freely with one another, reducing tariffs and non-tariff barriers across borders.
For the automotive sector, AfCFTA represents:
A larger, unified market for vehicle sales and production
Reduced costs and improved efficiency for cross-border supply chains
Streamlined customs procedures, enabling faster delivery of parts and goods
Policy frameworks supporting industrial clusters and automotive hubs
By leveraging AfCFTA, the Africa Automotive Show is helping to turn continental ambitions into operational realities.
Looking Ahead: Africa’s Place in the Global Automotive Future
As the global automotive industry moves toward electrification, automation, and digital mobility, Africa has a unique opportunity to leapfrog legacy systems and adopt cleaner, smarter technologies from the start.
The Africa Automotive Show will continue to play a pivotal role in:
Showcasing African-made electric vehicles and components
Encouraging sustainable and circular manufacturing practices
Promoting green logistics and infrastructure development
Connecting young entrepreneurs and engineers with industry veterans
Driving Change, One Country at a Time
The Africa Automotive Show is more than just an event — it is a movement. A movement that understands the continent's need not only for vehicles but for value creation, job generation, and technological sovereignty. It acknowledges the rich resources, talent, and ambition already present across Africa and works to unite them under a shared industrial vision.
By focusing on collaboration, integration, and innovation, the Africa Automotive Show is helping to write a new chapter in African economic development — one in which the road ahead is built not just for travel, but for transformation.
