Africa's Big Seven (AB7), an annual event staged in Johannesburg is going from strength to strength thanks in part to the attention now being paid to their agro processing industries by an increasing number of African Governments.

The last expo held in July 2006 attracted over 7,000 qualified trade buyers from 31 countries - a much larger than average attendance for a specialized trade show held outside of Europe - but it's not all about numbers. Almost 51% of the attendees were owners, managing directors, or directors of companies and could authorize purchases for their business.

This expo - its name comes from its seven constituent elements (see box) - is the only event of its kind in Africa and is rapidly developing into a continental clearing house where fresh and processed foods are displayed for export, specialty foods and beverages are marketed to Africa's importers, wholesalers and retailers and manufacturing processing and packaging technologies are traded internationally.

"On the one hand international companies, importers, exporters and traders are taking business in Africa much more seriously than they ever have before" stated John Thomson, Managing Director of Exhibition Management Services, the organisers, "whilst on the other hand an increasing number of African governments are implementing policies that either partially ban the importation of fully processed packaged foods or encourage the export of retail products rather than simply those same items in commodity form".

For instance Nigeria's ban on certain categories of food imports has seen spectacular national growth in some sub-sectors of its food processing industry particularly fruit juices, bakery, snack foods and pasta.

"This all adds up to enormous business opportunities for suppliers of raw materials, processing, packaging and labeling equipment" Thomson adds "a fact not lost on this year's international exhibitors who came from India, France, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Turkey and Europe".

What makes Africa's Big Seven so unique is the fact that it really is the only trade exhibition that is a genuine portal into Africa. It is the only forum where all role players can meet under one roof - farmers, manufacturers, suppliers, wholesalers, retailers and everyone else in between.

"It allows visitors to meet manufacturers and suppliers of technology that are appropriate to African conditions," says Thomson. "For example, buyers can compare high-tech European technology with Indian products that may be simpler and more relevant to some areas of this continent. AB7 provides African producers and manufacturers with the best opportunities to see how they can upgrade their particular products and packaging - that in turn opens new markets. At the same time buyers get the chance to meet new suppliers they do not know." their particular products and packaging - that in turn opens new markets. At the same time buyers get the chance to meet new suppliers they do not know."

British commitment boosts 2007 expo prospects A multi million pound sterling agreement concluded in June this year between Britain's Blair and South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki will give AB7 even more relevance in 2007. Called the Regional Standards Programme and managed by the UK's Department for International Development (DFID) this initiative aims to deliver increased trade in Southern Africa and open up more markets for the region's exports.

These are the very principles that AB7 has been practising on a practical level for the last ten years. The boost provided to AB7 by this programme is in its time table. In four short years the programme's target is to see a 30% increase in products sourced regionally by South African supermarkets.

DFID will work with these supermarkets to help poor farmers in other African countries export goods that meet supermarket quality standards. Raising standards will bring the added benefit of allowing UK and EU supermarkets to obtain more produce from Africa.

"The simple fact is that Africa wants to do business" said Teigue Payne, publisher of leading industry journal Food & Beverage Reporter. "AB7 plays a hugely successful role in bridging the gap between buyers and sellers; people who in many instances would have no other way of knowing of each others existence".

Buyers aplenty
With 7,000 visitors from 31 countries all looking for business at this year's show exhibitors reported good results. Deals ranged from a contract to supply 5,000 lettuces a day placed with a farmer by a large supermarket chain, to the sale of a piece of processing equipment from Europe valued at more than US$ 165,000.

A delegation of Japanese buyers came looking for suppliers of dried fruits, juice, wine, maize meal, drinks, spices and curry powders. Delegation organiser Shinji Yamamoto, Marketing Officer at the South African Embassy in Tokyo said "The Expo is well organised with excellent meeting arrangements and good follow up; the organisers catered promptly to our requirements and tangible business was done".

Closer to home a ten person Nigerian delegation headed by Wilson Toosman, Chairman of Nigeria's Master Bakers Association came looking for new innovations in the baking industry. "We came across many new ideas to improve our processes and made many new business contacts" he says. "I will definitely recommend to the Nigerian Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Agriculture that they participate officially at next year's expo".
First-time Dubai-based exhibitor, Dofreeze LLC reported enormous interest in their Eurocake range of confectionery. The company currently exports to 25 countries
- every four hours, 24/7 they ship a 40-foot container packed with finished product! "My only disappointment at Africa's Big 7 expo was that I did not realise beforehand how great the response to our products would be. If I had, I would have taken a stand twice as large and exhibited our other product ranges as well," says Managing Director, Aamer Fayyaz.

"There simply is no other opportunity like this to network, show your wares, find suppliers and gain access to one of the world's most rapidly-growing consumer markets," say organiser, John Thomson.

Data collected from visitors and exhibitors confirms his claims. 89% of all respondents said they made new contacts at the show while 92% said they would certainly attend again next year. 98% of visitors believed Africa's Big 7 expo is of value to the retail trade and 88% said they would definitely recommend that their business associates attend future shows. In addition, approximately half of all visitors said they could authorise purchases for their companies.

"Anyone wanting to do business in or with Africa needs to be at Africa's Big Seven Exhibition," Thomson says. The 2007 event is scheduled for July 15-17.