VIV Africa 2026 Opens in Kigali: What to Expect

If you buy feed, raise layers, run a hatchery or invest in animal protein, this is a busy week for you. The fifth edition of VIV Africa opens in Kigali on 7 October and runs for two days, after a Leadership Conference on 6 October.

Organisers expect more than 150 exhibitors across about 1,650 square meters, along with over 45 speakers and 120 industry leaders. Poultry sits at the heart of the show, but a growing Dairy Pavilion now widens its reach. Importantly, exhibition entry is free for registered visitors.

This guide is meant to save you time. It explains what VIV Africa is, who will be on the floor, what the conference and investment forum offer and how to plan a visit that produces real business. In addition, we look at why Rwanda’s own poultry boom makes Kigali such a useful meeting point.

Read on, then register before you travel.

What Exactly Is VIV Africa?

VIV Africa began life as Poultry Africa and has grown into VIV Worldwide’s dedicated feed-to-food platform for Sub-Saharan Africa. It is organised by VNU Europe, part of Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs, and it follows a biennial pattern.

The calendar is changing, too. Kigali will host in even years, and a first edition in Abidjan is planned for 6-7 October 2027. Therefore, West and East African players will each have a regional home for the show.

Exhibitors from across the chain

The exhibition is organised around animal health, breeding and hatching, farm production, feed ingredients and additives, and feed and grain technology, plus processing and food engineering. Names on the announced list include Aviagen, Hendrix Genetics, Hubbard, Lohmann Breeders and Petersime in genetics, and Cargill, De Heus and Trouw Nutrition in feed. Farm-equipment brands such as Big Dutchman, Chore-Time and Vencomatic Group are also expected, alongside animal-health firms like Ceva, Laprovet and Kemin.

In practical terms, a visitor can compare vaccines and biosecurity solutions in one aisle, then examine hatchery equipment, milling systems, housing, climate control and automation in the next. A suppliers’ list this broad lets a farm owner price an entire upgrade in a single afternoon.

Visitors from across the region

Organisers project around 2,000 visitors, with delegates from Rwanda, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Africa, Cameroon and Sudan. The audience includes farm owners, feed millers, hatchery specialists, veterinarians, processors, distributors, investors and government officials.

For reference, the 2024 edition drew 150 exhibitors and 1,732 visitors from 60 countries, with strong participation from Uganda. If you are a Ugandan producer or supplier, you will find familiar faces and plenty of regional peers.

The Programme: Conference, Forum and Workshops

The one-day conference runs from 09:00 to 17:00, followed by a networking reception from 17:00 to 18:00. Tickets cost USD 140 and include the programme, coffee breaks, lunch and the reception. Registered visitors can add a ticket through the VISIT Discover platform, while new registrants can select it during sign-up.

One session worth noting is a Vencomatic Group discussion on financing poultry projects. Money is often the hidden bottleneck in expansion, so a frank talk on funding is likely to be useful.

On the first exhibition day, organisers are running a forum that brings agribusinesses together with investors, financial institutions, technology providers and government representatives. A hosted-buyer programme also lets qualified decision-makers meet exhibitors through scheduled matchmaking.

Across both exhibition days, conferences, workshops and technical sessions cover poultry, dairy, feed, animal health, farming and business growth. Exhibition hours are 10:00 to 17:00 each day, so plan your talks around your supplier meetings.

Why Kigali, and Why Now?

Rwanda’s poultry sector has expanded quickly. The Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources reports that the national chicken population more than doubled in a year to nearly 13 million birds in 2025, while egg production climbed to 29,855 tonnes from 20,211 tonnes in 2024.

However, consumption still lags. Rwandans eat about 2.1 kilogrammes of eggs per person each year, against a national target of 4.5. That gap is exactly what suppliers and investors hope to help close.

Show manager Natalie Taylor describes the region as one of the fastest-growing markets for animal protein in the world. Kigali’s infrastructure, relative stability and role as a regional gateway make it a convenient place to test that claim. The Embassy of the Netherlands in Kigali and the Rwanda Council of Veterinary Doctors have also backed the event.

Disclaimer:

Africa Agricultural Network (AAN) is committed to informing and empowering agricultural communities across Africa as per our mandate. This article is intended for informational purposes only. Details referenced were drawn from the organisers’ materials and published media reports available at the time of writing and have not been independently re-verified by this publication