VIV Africa 2026 opens as Rwanda targets feed sector growth

RWANDA – VIV Africa 2026 opens in Kigali today, 7 October, bringing feed manufacturers, livestock producers, animal health companies, technology suppliers and other industry stakeholders together as Rwanda works to strengthen local feed production and livestock productivity.

The fifth edition runs at the Kigali Convention Centre from 7-8 October, following a Leadership Conference on 6 October. 

The event brings together the wider feed-to-food value chain, covering feed ingredients and additives, feed technology, animal health, breeding, farm production and processing.

The timing is significant for Rwanda’s livestock sector, where efforts are underway to increase local feed production, reduce costs and improve the efficiency and quality of livestock production.

One area receiving greater attention is the use of alternative feed resources. Producers are exploring locally available and waste-derived ingredients to reduce reliance on conventional raw materials and manage rising feed costs.

Digital tools are supporting this shift. Earlier this year, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) introduced its FeedCalculator application in Rwanda, enabling producers to formulate least-cost diets using locally available ingredients, including cassava peels.

Feed efficiency in focus

These challenges are reflected in the programme at VIV Africa, where technical sessions will examine issues including feed efficiency, nutrient utilisation, gut health, phytase, mycotoxins and water-based nutrition.

A dedicated workshop will focus on opportunities for Rwanda’s poultry sector.

The relevance extends beyond Rwanda. Feed manufacturers and livestock producers across East Africa face similar pressures around ingredient availability, feed costs, nutrition, animal health and production efficiency. 

Bringing these stakeholders together in Kigali creates an opportunity to exchange technologies, expertise and commercial solutions across markets.

The previous VIV Africa edition in 2024 attracted more than 1,700 visitors from 60 countries, with more than 150 exhibitors from 35 countries and 40 specialised sessions and workshops.

The show’s regional reach is set to expand further, with the next VIV Africa scheduled for Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, in 2027.

As Rwanda and the wider East African livestock sector look for ways to produce animal protein more efficiently, VIV Africa 2026 provides a platform for industry players to examine technologies and approaches that could address some of the region’s feed and production challenges.

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