The second edition of Poultry Africa, held last October in Kigali, gathered the poultry industry once again for a boutique event format that attracted 70% more exhibitors than the first edition and 2,026 professional visitors over three days.
Regional event with focus on farmers and decision makers
With an increase of 13% of African visitors coming from outside of Rwanda compared to 2017, this event has established itself as the point of reference and as a valuable platform for the sub-Saharan industry. The top five visiting countries, following the hosting country, were Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, and Ethiopia.
Exhibitors could meet the regional decision makers such as farm owners (24% of the visitors) and GM/CEO level members of the industry (19%), but also farm employees, marketing and sales reps, as well as vets, technicians, government reps, associations, and others. 67% of the visitors came with investment and buying plans for the next 12 months, which confirms the overall qualified attendance at Poultry Africa, supported also by the Industry Leaders program executed by the show organizer and targeting top specialists and top buyers of the poultry and egg industries in Africa. Layer and broiler poultry farms represented altogether the 48% of visitor business profiles, followed by feed ingredients and additives operators, feed mills, animal health and pharmaceutical sector, processing and handling companies, and animal industry equipment.
“Exhibitors awarded a 7.4 in a satisfaction scale of 10 to the event, while visitors rated the appointment with a significant 8.2 out of 10. This was possible to achieve thanks to a combination of factors such as the support from local and regional authorities and associations, the commitment in the region to develop the poultry sector as a way of improving people’s lives, and the VIV worldwide network of professionals that the event organizer manages in Africa and in the world.” says Diana Tóth, Poultry Africa event manager. The show thus seems to meet the current needs of both supply and demand.
The Expo: a feed to food showcase
Poultry Africa 2019 proved that the Sub-Saharan region is an attractive market: all sectors of the poultry production supply chain were represented by the 128 international and African exhibitors. The range of products and services showcased at the exhibition makes it the most complete poultry event in Africa. The Expo provides a unique environment for suppliers to actually relate to the local industry, test the progress, and work on the possible solutions for this specific market, whilst the Technical best practice seminars serve as a tool to engage with local farmers and vets and share knowledge with the aim of bringing the poultry sector to the next level.
Leadership conference & seminars
227 delegates took part in the Leadership Conference thanks to a strong line-up. The conference started with a most welcomed presentation by Rabobank Senior Global Animal Protein Analyst, Mr Mulder, who discussed the up-to-date poultry market outlook and strategic perspective on investments in Sub-Saharan Africa. The conference continued with a powerful presentation about Ghana Egg consumption campaign aiming at expanding the trade in eggs. A smart combination of traditional and digital media campaigns, school feeding activities, and other initiatives reaching multiple communities, the campaign managed to increase Ghana’s egg consumption. A session on poultry nutrition and the use of amino acids concluded the Leadership conference this year. Throughout the 3 days, more than 22 sessions involving 52 African and international speakers unlocked the debate between regulators, experts, producers and the operators of the industry.
Highlights of the second edition
As part of the Technical best practice seminars, the Women in Poultry Business session presented the poultry production in Africa with relation to women involvement in the value chain: how to empower women in rural areas and increase their productivity; financing and training women to increase rural production.
Live cooking, egg tasting, information, and fun were the ingredients for the Egg promotion event held on the last show day. Egg consumption in Africa is low. This is due to misconception and lack of knowledge about the nutritional value of eggs.
Among this year’s activities, the show also offered two field visits to broiler and layer businesses in Rwanda:
Poultry East Africa Ltd, the first integrated poultry farm in Rwanda, and SIMBA supermarkets, gave important insights on the meat proteins production, while a second tour covered a major egg producer in the country.
A yearly appointment from 2020 onwards
During its first two editions, Poultry Africa has positioned itself as the most complete for poultry professionals in and for Africa. Rwanda, has played a key role in this development. Every two years, Poultry Africa will return to the beautiful city of Kigali, next time coming back in fall 2021.
In the even years, Poultry Africa will be travelling to different destinations, alternating with Kigali in the odd years. The yearly frequency enables producers to connect with suppliers within substantial fast-growing markets of feed production, farming, and food processing in Africa.
Poultry Africa 2020 will take place on 21-22 October 2020 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
