By Onyekachi Victoria Philip
For an entrepreneur looking beyond the familiar market, the biggest challenge is often not finding an opportunity but finding the right people to turn that opportunity into reality and that is where the upcoming East-West Africa Amalgamation through Tourism, Trade and Creative Arts comes in.
Scheduled for September 15th -23rd 2026, in Addis Ababa and Wolaita Soddo, Ethiopia, the programme is creating a platform where businesses and investors can move beyond introductions and begin exploring practical opportunities across African markets.
One of the major features is Business-to-Business (B2B) matchmaking, designed to connect entrepreneurs and business owners with potential partners from different markets.
There will also be Business-to-Government (B2G) engagement, giving investors and businesses an opportunity to interact directly with government stakeholders.
For an investor considering a new market, that access can be particularly important.
Questions around regulations, market entry, investment opportunities, trade processes and government support are often difficult to navigate from outside a country. Direct engagement can provide a clearer starting point for understanding those markets.
The programme also creates room for strategic Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), allowing promising discussions to potentially develop into formal partnerships.The sectors involved are equally broad.
They will have opportunities to explore areas including tourism, agriculture, aviation, oil and gas, education, trade and the creative industries and this simply means the conversation is not limited to one type of investor or entrepreneur.
A tourism operator can explore a new destination.
An agricultural business can look for cross-border partnerships.
A creative entrepreneur can meet collaborators.
An investor can examine opportunities in sectors outside their existing market.
The initiative is being organised through the collaboration of NACCIMA, Motherland Beckons, IPADA Initiatives and Accelerating Africa’s Growth Connect (AAGC), bringing business and institutional networks into the programme.But perhaps the most interesting part of the business agenda is its cross-regional character.
Instead of an entrepreneur travelling separately to several countries in search of connections, the platform brings stakeholders from East and West Africa into one programme which creates the possibility of discovering opportunities that may not have been visible from within a single market.
And this is where the East–West idea becomes practical.
It is not simply about saying that Africa should trade more with itself.It is about putting business owners, investors in the same space and giving them a reason to start the conversation.
Whether those conversations eventually become investments, partnerships, distribution agreements or new ventures will depend on what entrepreneurs build from the connections made.
For the entrepreneurs and investors attending in September, however, the invitation is straightforward:
Come with an idea. Come looking for a market. Come looking for a partner.
The East–West Africa Amalgamation takes place from September 15–23, 2026, in Addis Ababa and Wolaita Soddo, Ethiopia.
For enquiries: +234 913 055 4013
Email: info@ipadacarnival.com