Event News

VIV Africa is returning to the Kigali Convention Centre on 7 and 8 October. (Image source: VNU Exhibition)

A region does not become one of the fastest growing agrifood markets in the world by accident

Rising incomes, rapid urbanization and a growing middle class are reshaping what and how much Sub-Saharan Africa eats, and animal protein and dairy sit at the center of that shift. For the global suppliers, investors and technology providers watching this trend, the question is no longer whether to engage with the region, but how quickly they can find the right partners on the ground.

The numbers back up the momentum. As per the Barometer of African Agriculture, published by the Foundation for Agriculture and Rurality in the World alongside the Pan-African Farmers Organization, African milk production climbed 17% over the past decade, rising from roughly 45.5 million to 53.2 million tonnes between 2013 and 2023. As per Statista's market forecasts, the continent's wider dairy and egg market is on a path toward roughly 10% annual growth between 2024 and 2029, a pace that outstrips most other food categories on the continent. Poultry tells a similar story, with demand climbing steadily as populations grow and diets diversify.

Meeting that demand is drawing real investment. International genetics companies, feed producers, animal health specialists and equipment manufacturers are expanding their footprint across the region, often in partnership with local producers who understand the market conditions on the ground. Cold chain and processing infrastructure, long an underdeveloped piece of the puzzle, is increasingly attracting the kind of capital and technology transfer that turns rising demand into reliable supply.

VIV Africa 2026 is where much of that momentum converges. Returning to the Kigali Convention Centre on 7 and 8 October, with a paid Leadership Conference opening proceedings on 6 October, the show has grown alongside the industry it serves. This year's edition brings back the dedicated Dairy Pavilion, sitting alongside the poultry, feed and animal health exhibitors that have long anchored the event—a clear signal that the platform's ambitions remain within the full breadth of the region's agrifood industry rather than any single category.

Around 2,000 visitors are expected in Kigali, travelling from Rwanda, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Africa, Cameroon, Sudan and beyond, drawn by a program built to produce outcomes rather than footfall. The Leadership Conference gathers international experts to work through the trends shaping poultry, dairy and broader agriculture across the continent. Senior buyers looking to move faster can use the Hosted Buyer Program, which arranges scheduled introductions with suppliers so that a few days on the ground translate directly into new supplier relationships.

For companies weighing whether Sub-Saharan Africa belongs in their growth plans, the case is increasingly straightforward: this is a market expanding faster than most of its global peers, with real capital now flowing toward the genetics, technology and infrastructure needed to support it. VIV Africa 2026 offers a direct way in, a chance to meet the producers, processors and buyers shaping that growth in person rather than tracking it from afar.

Registration for the two-day exhibition is free for anyone who registers in advance, and is open now at africa.viv.net

Pottinger's V 6520 C. (Image source: Pottinger)

For farms bustling with foraging and complex logistics, Pottinger has launched a compact twin rotor rake without chassis, advancing manoeuvrability 

Its simple build keeps crude ash content to a minimum while maintaining high forage quality. 

Known as the Top V 6520 C, the rotor rake is equipped with a headstock that pivots and moves in line with the tractor while taking turns, seamlessly raking central swathes. The innovative headstock stays in place with support from high centring forced mechanical stabiliser. This also keeps the machine from going haywire while driving downhill.

The floating rotor suspension is designed to enable three-dimensional ground tracking. The rake can easily bypass bumpy situations, thanks to the option of a multitask jockey wheel mounted directly on the headstock. It always ensures smooth run even at high speeds, because of the tandem axles tackling uneven ground.

At the headland, the machine is lifted by the tractor linkage and gently moved into the centre position. The high ground clearance of the TOP V 6520 C makes headland turns easier and prevents disruption of the already-formed swaths. The TOP V 6520 C is also compact during transport with its centre of gravity close to the tractor.

The working width can be adjusted mechanically from 5.9 m to 6.5 m and can be adapted to the geometry of each tractor. This produces swath widths between 1 and 1.6 m. This makes the rake capable of handling heavy forage in combination with smaller harvesting machines.

Pottinger has made sure to give the rake a rock-solid design for maximum flexibility and reliability when dealing with the unpredictability of harvesting times. 

Addis Ababa is ideal for high-level deal-making potential.

Food and agriculture investments platform organised by the African Agri Council, African Agri Investment Indaba (AAII) will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 16-18 November at the Addis International Convention Center 

This year the guiding theme of the event will be 'Scaling for Impact: Transforming Private Sector Commitments into Zero Hunger Realities'. 

According to the Council, Ethiopia was chosen as the preferred venue over Durban, which was announced previously. This was a strategic decision, given Ethiopia is the headquarters of the African Union, and a critical hub for continental agricultural policy and trade negotiations. The region holds significant influence in the rapid digitalisation of the entire nation's agricultural sector because of its strategic positioning near the East African and Middle Eastern trade corridors. 

These factors make Addis Ababa ideal for high-level deal-making potential. "Relocating the Indaba to Addis Ababa represents a monumental step forward in our mission to catalyse private sector capital across the entire continent," said Ben Leyka, chief executive officer at the African Agri Council.

"While Durban served as an incredible launchpad for regional investment, moving to Ethiopia places our stakeholders at the direct intersection of policy, trade finance, and large-scale industrial expansion."

The move aligns with the Indaba's growing role as a platform that bridges policy, capital, and implementation; a space where the commitments made in continental policy frameworks can be translated into bankable investment pipelines. 

This year's edition will be introducing new segments for a better connected agribusiness value chain, from early-stage tech to industrial mega-projects. These include the Agribusiness CEO Forum where C-suite executives talk currency volatility, supply chain resilience, and operational strategy. The Agri-Trade Finance Congress aims to strategise on commodity finance, warehouse receipts, and digital trade tools to close US$80bn agri-trade liquidity gap.

Agro-Industrial Park Forum will be returning for its second edition, connecting global park developers, SEZ authorities, and anchor tenants to activate regional processing hubs. The exhibition will unite top ag-tech innovators and early-stage ventures from the region, giving them a platform to take their business concepts to venture capital and impact funds at the Seeds & Startups Showcase. 

Local commercial producers can directly approach international retail procurement heads and global off-takers at Market Access Africa.

The Investment Discovery Sessions will see pre-vetted Investment Discovery Session (IDS) connecting project owners with institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds, and Development Finance Institutions (DFIs).

The Agri Investment Indaba Awards will acknowledge excellence and innovations of the continent's agrifood sector.

To learn more and discover further information, visit www.agri-indaba.com

VIV Africa is sub-Saharan Africa's leading Feed to Food platform. (Image source: VNU Exhibitions Europe BV)

Something is shifting in Sub-Saharan Africa's animal protein sector

Demand for poultry, dairy and feed is climbing fast, yet producers across the region are still contending with real constraints: biosecurity gaps, patchy supply chains and limited access to the technologies that could ease both. Closing that gap is not a matter of good intentions. It takes the right people in the same room, comparing notes on what actually works.

That room is in Kigali this October. VIV Africa, the region's leading Feed to Food platform, returns to the Kigali Convention Centre on 7 and 8 October 2026, with a Leadership Conference kicking things off a day earlier on 6 October. About 150 exhibitors will fill 1,650 square metres of exhibition space covering the full animal protein value chain, from farm production and feed ingredients to processing and animal health. Poultry remains at the heart of the show, and a dedicated Dairy Pavilion this year signals just how far VIV Africa's ambitions now stretch across agrifood. Around 2,000 visitors are expected, travelling in from Rwanda, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Africa, Cameroon, Sudan and beyond.

What makes the event worth three days out of an already packed calendar is not simply its size. It is the way the programme is built around outcomes rather than footfall. The Leadership Conference sets the tone before the exhibition floor even opens, gathering international experts to work through the trends and challenges shaping poultry, agriculture and dairy across the continent, for a registration fee of US$140. Senior buyers and decision makers can go further still through the Hosted Buyer Programme, which arranges scheduled introductions and dedicated support so that time on the ground translates into actual supplier relationships rather than a stack of business cards.

For an agrifood professional weighing whether to attend, the case comes down to four things. There is a chance to learn directly from global experts grappling with the same pressures on production and margins. There is the opportunity to discover technologies and solutions already proven in comparable markets, rather than reading about them second-hand. There is the ability to connect face to face with suppliers, partners and buyers who can move a business forward. And there is the prospect of growth that follows from all three, new partnerships and new deals that would be far harder to reach from behind a desk.

Natalie Taylor, Project Manager for VIV Africa, described the show as a place where the region's animal protein industry comes to make real decisions rather than window shop. That distinction is worth sitting with. Sub-Saharan Africa is among the fastest growing animal protein markets anywhere in the world right now, and the companies willing to show up and engage with it directly are the ones best placed to shape where it goes next.

Registration for VIV Africa 2026 is open now, and entry to the two-day exhibition is free for anyone who registers in advance. Doing so also means avoiding queues on arrival and getting early access to the exhibitor list, which is a small thing that makes a real difference once you are trying to plan a busy two days in Kigali.

For anyone with a stake in where this region's agrifood industry is headed, whether as a producer, a supplier or a technical lead with influence over what gets purchased, VIV Africa 2026 is where those conversations are actually happening. Registration is open at africa.viv.net.