AFCO Launches Pan-African Festival, Seals Diaspora Partnership to Strengthen Fair Trade

The African Farmers and Cultural Organization (AFCO) has announced a major continental initiative aimed at promoting fair trade, cultural exchange and development across Africa. The group unveiled the Pan-African Produces and Cultural Festival (PAC-FEST), a six-day exhibition designed to showcase African-made goods, indigenous art, agro-products, machinery, and cultural performances.

AFCO’s founder, Prince Chuks Moses Esiole, said the festival is part of a broader push to challenge systems that limit Africa’s economic growth, including restrictive tariffs and exploitative pricing structures that undermine local producers.

According to him, PAC-FEST will serve as a collaborative platform for Africans on the continent and in the diaspora to support projects in food security, infrastructure, education, cultural preservation and equitable trade.

The organisation also confirmed a new strategic partnership with the State of the African Diaspora (SOAD), a global bloc representing millions of people of African descent. SOAD has appointed AFCO as its National Facilitator in Nigeria following a recent engagement that has already produced development funding deals, including one with Bayelsa State.

Esiole said the alliance is intended to strengthen Africa’s economic position by encouraging intra-African cooperation and diaspora investment. AFCO added that further details on the official launch of PAC-FEST will be announced soon.