Rwanda to host inaugural Africa Coffee and Tea Expo 2025
The Africa Coffee and Tea Expo 2025 in Kigali will promote trade, heritage, and innovation in Africa’s growing beverage industry.
RWANDA – Rwanda is set to host the first-ever Africa Coffee and Tea Expo in 2025, positioning itself as a central player in advancing the continent’s coffee and tea industries.
The event, scheduled for July 7–8 at the Kigali Convention Centre, will spotlight Africa’s journey in coffee and tea development under the theme “Africa Brewing for Prosperity.”
Organized by the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), the Rwanda Convention Bureau (RCB), and Rwanda Events, the expo is expected to draw 800 to 1,000 industry participants and 100 exhibitors from across the globe.
A stakeholder briefing on March 28 provided a strategic outline of the expo’s goals and direction, aligning participants ahead of the main event.
Candy Basomingera, Deputy CEO of RCB, noted that the expo aims to go beyond economic promotion to become a platform that highlights Africa’s deep-rooted coffee and tea heritage.
She emphasized its potential to attract investment, forge trade partnerships, and contribute to sustainable industry growth.
The event also strengthens Rwanda’s position as a premier MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) destination, capable of fostering collaboration and regional impact.
Donald Murphy, CEO of Rwanda Farmers’ Coffee, stressed the importance of shifting traditional supply chain models by involving retail buyers. He stated that attracting such buyers to the expo could create new trade dynamics across the African coffee industry.
NAEB, the regulatory body for Rwanda’s coffee and tea sector, will promote local stakeholder participation at the expo, aiming to amplify farmer involvement and connect them to wider markets.
With coffee generating US$530 million in foreign exchange earnings from 97,123 tonnes of processed exports over the past seven years, the sector remains a vital economic pillar for the country.
Aligned with the National Strategy for Transformation (NST2), Rwanda targets exports of over 140,000 metric tons of coffee, generating more than US$529.5 million.
In February, the government launched the PSAC project to revitalize aging coffee plantations, aiming to replace 3,050 hectares of trees over 30 years old and rehabilitate an additional 1,082 hectares by 2028.
Sign up HERE to receive our email newsletters with the latest news and insights from Africa and around the world, and follow us on our WhatsApp channel for updates.
