The 9th edition of the AgroFood-PlastPack Exhibition will take place at the Sarit Centre in Nairobi on August 21-23.
This year’s expo, organised by Dubai-based event firm MXM Exhibitors, promises to be the largest yet, bringing together three major segments under one roof grains and technology, agro and poultry, food & processing, and plastics and paper and Tissue Africa.
The event will bring together stakeholders from across Africa and beyond to highlight the continent’s agri-food and packaging industries.
The exhibition, now in its ninth year, builds on previous editions, including the eighth in 2024, by increasing exhibitor participation, diversifying technology demonstrations, and deepening its regional impact.
More than 200 exhibitors from 16 countries are expected to showcase the most recent crop storage systems, feed technologies, packaging machinery, tissue production solutions, and poultry farming innovations.
Mr Axan, event organiser at MXM Exhibitors, believes that Africa’s agro-industrial future relies on innovation.
“This exhibition serves as a bridge between farmers, manufacturers, investors, and researchers, rather than just a showcase. Our innovative agro-food and packaging solutions in Nairobi boost productivity, food security, and economic growth on the continent.”
The five-in-one format—Grains & Technology, Agro & Poultry, Food & Beverages, Plastics and Paper & Tissue—enables stakeholders from various value chains to meet, collaborate, and make deals.
According to the organisers, Grains Africa 2025 will showcase storage systems, milling machinery, and quality control equipment.
At the same time, Agro & Poultry focuses on modern farming and livestock solutions, while Paper & Tissue Africa showcases innovations in pulp, packaging, and tissue production and plastics on polymers & related segments.
“We are creating synergies across categories by co-locating these three sub-expos,” Axan explains.
This fosters economies of scale, increases supply chain efficiency, and strengthens Africa’s integration into global agro-industrial markets.
” This year’s exhibition comes at a critical juncture for Africa’s economy. According to a recent World Bank report, Sub-Saharan African growth will be 3.5% in 2025, increasing to 4.3% in 2026-27, boosted by rising private consumption and investment and lower inflation.
Similarly, a World Bank analysis shows that the region’s growth rate increased to 3.5% in 2024, primarily due to public investment and commodity exports, with forecasts of 3.7% in 2025 and 4.2% in 2026-2027.
Axan connects the expo’s mission to these economic realities: “Kenya is at a critical juncture—public debt is high, private-sector credit is tightHowever, events such as the Agro-Food Pack can help to alleviate some of these challenges.They attract investment, demonstrate productivity-enhancing technologies, and foster collaborations to drive agribusiness growth across East Africa.”
Food security and economic inclusion have long been central to Africa’s development goals.
With nearly half a billion people living on less than $2.15 per day, agriculture continues to be a key driver of poverty reduction.
Global institutions’ simulations of Malawi show that every dollar invested in agricultural productivity yields up to $4 in rural household income, demonstrating the sector’s multiplier effect.
The World Bank emphasises that, despite stabilised inflation (the median dropped from 7.1% in 2023 to 4.5% in 2024), Africa’s per capita income remains below pre-pandemic levels, highlighting the urgent need for private investment, inclusive markets, and better governance.
The Africa Pulse report warns that these gains are insufficient, highlighting the need for structural reforms in agriculture, manufacturing, and services.
Axan suggests that exhibitions such as Agro-Food Pack can help with this.
“They serve as catalyst platforms, increasing market access for agro-industry innovators, attracting investors to high-impact ventures, and closing technological gaps across the value chain.”
The event will feature tools that can reshape production efficiency, reduce post-harvest losses, and create local manufacturing jobs, including climate-smart poultry systems, automated grain storage, and biodegradable tissue solutions.
Beyond Kenya, East Africa is a growth engine, Kenya accounts for approximately $132 billion of the regional GDP, slightly ahead of Ethiopia’s $117 billion.
Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda are among the fastest-growing countries, with Rwanda growing at nearly 6.9% and Tanzania growing at 5.5% per year.
Nairobi’s expo aims to capitalise on this regional momentum by emphasising cross-border collaboration and trade facilitation.
Regional integration initiatives, such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), aim to increase market access across the continent, which organisers say the expo helps by facilitating face-to-face business between producers, technology firms, and buyers from various countries.
