From the 13th to 15th February 2019, Rwanda hosts the 17th African Fine Coffees Conference and Exhibition (AFCC&E), the largest coffee conference in Africa that is taking place at Kigali Convention Centre. This is the second time Rwanda has hosted this very important event under the theme, “Specialty Coffees at the Heart of Africa.”

The annual conference, hosted in rotation among its 11 member countries, is Africa’s largest coffee trade platform that brings together over 1,000 regional and international coffee roasters, traders, producers, professionals and connoisseurs under one roof. During the conference, the Rwanda Chapter, which last hosted the event in 2009, and the AFCA Board of directors will officially launch a series of activities attached to this important event.

Speaking during the opening of the 3-day event, Clare Akamanzi, the CEO of Rwanda Development Board (RDB), thanked the Africa Fine Coffee Association (AFCA) for choosing Rwanda as the host of this very important event.

She noted that coffee continues to play a leading role in the economy of Rwanda, and in the lives of many small producers and agribusinesses.

“Coffee has contributed 19% of the country’s agricultural export value in the past 5 years, adding significantly to foreign exchange earnings, and to the monetisation of the rural economy,” pointed out Akamanzi. “Today, our journey continues with Rwanda Coffee: “A Second Sunrise” brand which represents our speciality coffee and mark of origin.”

According to Ambassador William Bill Kayonga, the CEO of the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), in Rwanda “10 years ago, most of our exports were still Semi Washed Coffees and today over 55% - 60% of the coffees that we export are specialty coffees.”

He added that there was only 1 coffee shop ten years ago, but there are countless coffee shops serving Rwanda’s finest coffee today, while coffee washing stations increased from less than 50 to about 300 washing stations over the same period of time.

“Rwanda was known for great coffee, today, the country is known for its exquisite coffees which are highly sought after worldwide. We are happy that we can share with the world with a coffee which is much sought after,” said Kayonga.

Participants to the 17th African Fine Coffees Conference and Exhibition also had field visits from the 11th to the 12th February across Rwanda to get first-hand information on the country’s diversity of coffees as well as its scenic beauty.

Delegates and exhibitors come from all over the world to discuss actions that will raise the quality and competitiveness of coffee from member countries, helping grow existing coffee markets and securing new opportunities. AFCA Member countries include Burundi, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

It is expected that this conference and exhibition will be an opportunity for member countries to adopt policies that encourage transparency in coffee marketing and to establish long-term partnerships between private and public sectors, leading to the establishment of more efficient production and trade in African coffees. Dialog will include leveraging regional integration to improve intra-regional trade within AFCA countries, and strengthening farmer organizations and exporters.
The event will also provide Rwanda with an opportunity to “tell its coffee story”, meet potential new buyers, discuss the latest in research, and showcase why Speciality Coffee is the key for Africa in the next 10 years.