Welcome
Welcome to the African Regional Apimondia Symposium website.
Dear Esteemed Stakeholders
Africa is set to host the 3rd Apimondia Africa Regional Symposium at the ICC in Durban, South Africa from 21st – 24th March 2023, an event that is promising to be uniquely exciting, educational, engaging and ground-breaking given the topics lined up on the program.
Apimondia symposia are meant to bring stakeholders from beekeepers, equipment manufacturers, scientists / academia, policymakers, development partners to honey processors / traders under one roof to exchange information, ideas and experiences on how to develop the apiculture sector within the respective regions. Despite Apimondia having been formed in 1893, Africa has only seen 2 regional symposia hosted in Arusha, Tanzania (November 2014) and Addis Ababa (December 2018), a situation that has left stakeholders with few opportunities to come together and engage in information-sharing.
Thus, the Apimondia Africa Regional Symposium is a must-attend event for all stakeholders within the African continent as the cost of travel is much lower and for many within the SADC region, the symposium is only a drive away. Connectivity by both air and road is easy making the venue accessible to as many delegates as possible at reasonable costs.
To Beekeepers, this is your opportunity to interact with other beekeepers from across Africa. This symposium will address you at your point of need, be it a communal beekeeper, hobby beekeeper or commercial beekeeper. Even those who are yet to start and looking for a sector to invest in with minimal start-up cost, this is your event. The program has workshops / round tables to address the issues of all the categories. The Regional Commission is also excited that there is a slot for beekeepers living with disabilities as this is a sector that has potential to provide livelihoods for such individuals.
To honey packers / processors and buyers, this is the event where you will have the opportunity to sample honeys from across the continent and appreciate the unique flavour and even medicinal properties that will help you meet your customer requirements.
Africa is proving to be the region where business is growing for beekeeping and honey processing equipment manufacturers. So if looking for a market readily available for beekeeping and honey processing equipment, the 3rd Apimondia Regional Symposium is the place to be in March 2023.
To Institutions of Higher Learning and Research institutes, Apimondia Symposium will provide you with the opportunity to understand the important role you play in carrying out research around bees as they are important to mankind and the environment. Not much is known about the unique African honeys that is believed to have higher medicinal content than some of the specialty honeys being traded globally. Limited research have been conducted on bees and beekeeping, thus, interacting with the specialists in this sector will stimulate the need to consider providing research and courses around the apiculture sector.
To policymakers, this is an event you are needed most as the apiculture sector in Africa requires government support through regulatory framework that promotes apiculture, protect bees and other pollinators that are under threat from excessive use of agro-chemicals in farming.
Lastly, Development Partners / Organisations are playing a significant role in empowering and capacitating communities to earn descent livelihoods through sustainable use of locally available resources, conserving the environment and job creation for the women and youths. The Symposium will provide a perfect platform to broaden the scope by integrating beekeeping into your programs.
Africa will be better when all stakeholders put their hands on the deck and collectively move towards the Africa we want through beekeeping and the 3rd Apimondia Regional Africa Symposium at the Durban International Convention Centre (ICC) from the 21st – 24th March 2023 is ready to unpack the full potential in beekeeping and around bees. Welcome to Durban and welcome to a world of opportunities to develop beekeeping industry across Africa!
Yours Sincerely
David Mukomana
President – Apimondia Regional Commission for Africa.
