Following spread of information regarding an upcoming Afro World Agri Food Conference, Exhibition and Awards event (AWAF), slated to take place on 10th, 11th and 12th August, in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, many questions are popping up.
Being the first time to be held in Africa, and Tanzania to be specific, one can understand rationality behind these queries.
There are some who are likening it to Sabasaba (Dar Es Salaam International Trade Fair) and Nanenane (Farmers’ Day) occasions. Sadly, none of them are correct, not even close.
For starters, AWAF is Africa’s biggest Agri food show that will take place in Africa for the first time and Tanzania will be a host of the most important event. It will include Conference, Exhibition, Business to Business meetings and Awards, among other activities.
The show will attract participants from across Africa, India, Middle East, Europe, America and other Far East Asian counties. To those who have got a taste of Gulf Food Expo that takes place annually in Dubai, then this will be Africa’s replica of it, albeit in a relatively smaller way.
Sabasaba and Nanenane shows are superb in their own right, everyone that has ever attended one or two of them will pray their continuity. But it’s precious to say that they are not AWAF and the gap between them is as big as heaven and earth.
Basically, the above-mentioned events largely involve businesses that targets customers (final consumers). As for Sabasaba, businesses can bring in spices, grains or beverages for direct selling or future business in minor cases, an experience is more or less similar to Nanenane shows.
Nevertheless, when it comes to AWAF, exhibitors don’t intend so much to do business on the spot because theirs is volume business.
Secondly, AWAF contains Conference in it. Whereas Exhibition segment is expected to attract more than 3,000 visitors from across the world, who will be busy viewing the stall, conference will be an occasion of its own kind.
A number of thought leaders from Tanzania, Africa and other parts of the world, will sit down to discuss ideas, constraints, challenges and solutions that are or should be working around the most important sector.
Discussions will generally try to find experiences from supply side (mostly Africa) and demand side (largely Asia and other parts of the world). There are very few shows that provide a spice for dialogues, let alone happening on African soil. Part of the reason is the cost that comes with organizing and having every speaker to attend.
Thirdly, there is an Award segment. There are many companies, personalities, organizations or even scientists that have done tremendous works in the Agri food sector.
Sadly, most of their innovations, that are changing lives of millions of people, are going unnoticed. While it has been a normal tendency to not recognize their efforts, save for tech industry, few of us know how many people, we have lost at the moment, would be encouraged to do the wonders if awarding the best in Agri food industry would be visible and a norm.
Fourth, the global part is what makes it exceptional. There is a very huge flow of international companies and organisations that have already confirmed to attend. These companies are not only coming for trade, which is one of the goals of organizing such an event, they are indeed poised to invest in different parts of food value chain.
Global experience is highly important in bringing up the much needed revolution in the sector.
The government of Tanzania, has always been putting in place initiatives gearing at commercializing the agricultural sector, as an improvement from the current subsistence one.
The private sector also, has always tried to work hand in hand with the government to actualize that goal by launching a number of programmes, but this an opportunity like no other, it is like a goal post in football, a basket in basketball or a net in tennis court, simply a place where a single shot can give multiple points.