East African Business Week (Kampala)
Bosco Hitimana
20 September 2008
Kigali — The Eastern Africa Fine Coffees Conference and Exhibition will be held in Rwanda next year at Kigali Serena hotel.
The event is being organised by the Eastern Africa Finer Coffees Association (EAFCA), based in Kampala, Uganda.
The EAFCA is an association of coffee producers, processors, marketing people and organisations in the ten Eastern and Southern African countries of Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
It also includes processors, associations, roasters, dealers, retailers, and coffee professionals from all over the world.
Themed "a Coffee journey to the land of a thousand hills," the event brings coffee sector stakeholders to exhibit and discuss challenges and opportunities in the sector.
It also helps the participants to know each other hence a means of forging partnerships and making new contacts. It exposes the coffees of the participating countries to a diverse and wider market through well arranged exhibitions.
The head of quality assurance department at Rwanda Coffee Development Authority (OCir Café), Mr. Pierre Claver Gahakwa told East African Business Week that Rwanda is honored to host such an esteemed coffee promoting event.
He said that the concerned officials from the ministries responsible of agriculture and trade have backed the proposal and pledged their support to host the event. The promo is expected to bring together about 600 participants all working in the coffee sector in different countries. This year's event was held in Kampala, Uganda from February 14-16.
Rwanda, the host country was among the best exhibitors with the best coffees in the region. The country has just concluded the prestigious coffee quality competition, the Cup of Excellence which aims at rewarding the world class coffees.
Among 50 coffees scrutinised by a select team of international cuppers, only 24 scored above 84% ranking among the best coffees in the world. These coffees will be auctioned online. 11 among 26 eliminated coffees have been sold the best selling at $9.6 per kilogramme.
With her efforts to promote specialty coffee, Rwanda has earned a great honour on the international level. Coffee employs more than 500,000 Rwandans and over 100 washing stations have been set up. The country seeks to earn $100million worth of coffee exports by 2012. Hosting the EAFCA conference and exhibitions, Rwanda is strengthening its marketing tool to attract coffee lovers from across the world.
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