ZAMBIA– The southern Africa edition of Africa’s food, beverage and milling industry conference and exhibition, AFMASS has received a number of confirmations from high profile individuals, industry associations and Government agencies , with expectations that it will change the face of the industry in the region.

Planned to take place on October 3-5, 2018 at the New Government Complex in the middle of Lusaka, Zambia, the event has excited the food industry stakeholders from Zambia and the surrounding countries, who will converge in Lusaka for 3 days to network, discover and trade.

The event will bring together the who-is-who of the food industry into one venue for the very first time in an event of its type in the region.

“We are quite excited with the response from the industry, government agencies and regulators, industry associations and NGOs involved the food and agro supply chain which have agreed to partner with us for this inaugural gathering of industry stakeholders.

It shows the relevance and potential impact AFMASS will have on the region’s economy and businesses,” says Francis Juma, the team leader of the organisers of the event

Speaking in Lusaka, Juma added that a number of high impact individuals have also made confirmations to speak at the event, lending their voice and willing to share their experience with the attendees.

Peter Cottan, a veteran industry leader in the grains industry and a key voice in championing the potential of the grains industry in the country, and the CEO of one of the largest grain millers in the country Superior Milling, will be one of the keynote speakers at the event.

“Peter lends a strong voice to the vast potential of agriculture and the milling industry in Zambia. His experience in the industry will provide unique insights to the conference attendees and open up new ways of thinking of the future of the industry in Zambia,” Juma said.

He also added that several confirmations are expected in the next few days as the event gets nearer, revealing that the organisers expect some more big name announcements in the next week.

Govt agencies, associations come on board

To add further credence to the event, several associations and Government agencies have signed up to participate at AFMASS Southern Africa edition.

Juma revealed that some of the confirmed partners at the event include the Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS), Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA), Poultry Association of Zambia (PAZ) and the Zambia Commodity Exchange (ZAMACE).

ZABS is a statutory body under the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry that implements the Standards Act No. 4 of 2017 of the laws of Zambia.

ZCSA, established in 2017 administers and maintains compulsory standards for the purpose of public safety and health, consumer protection and environmental protection in Zambia

ZAMACE is a private limited liability company that operates Zambia’s sole commodities exchange, established by stakeholders in the agricultural sector seeking a structured market mechanism that addressed the multiple market imperfections that stifle growth in the agricultural sector.

It provides an efficient and vibrant agricultural commodity exchange, supported by a warehouse certification and receipt system to enhance market access, liquidity and credibility in the commodities market in Zambia.

PAZ brings together the stakeholders in the poultry value chain in Zambia, which has seen a rise in production and value addition in the country over the years.

“We expect to close a number of collaboration deals with other associations in the coming week, including those of the dairy, milling and grain traders associations,” adds Juma.

About AFMASS Southern Africa

AFMASS Southern Africa is Zambia’s first and SADC region’s largest food, beverage and milling industry conference and exhibition.

Made up of 3 days of conference sessions and a parallel Exhibition Hall, the event brings together the industry stakeholders from Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, DRC, Tanzania, Angola, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and other parts of the World to discover new technologies, network and trade.

The annual event takes place at the New Government Complex in Lusaka, Zambia.

AFMASS Southern Africa is part of the Africa Food Manufacturing & Safety Summit (AFMASS) events that are targeted at the food, beverage and milling industry in Africa.

The main AFMASS events take place in Kenya (with a focus on Eastern Africa), Zambia (with a focus on Southern Africa) and Nigeria (with a focus on Western Africa).

Smaller AFMASS conferences, called AFMASS Regional Technical Conferences take place in other countries in Africa.

In 2019, these conferences are planned for Tanzania in February and Rwanda in July. Plans are underway to include other countries from 2020.

More information about the AFMASS events can be found at www.afmass.com