FI Africa ProPak MENA 2023 Strategic Overlook: Navigating the Future of F&B in Africa

The FI Africa ProPak MENA 2023 Strategic Overlook serves as a vital blueprint for investors and stakeholders aiming to penetrate the Middle East and Africa’s most dynamic food systems.

As the leading event in the region, the exhibition witnessed a significant expansion in 2023, hosting over 350 exhibitors, a nearly 100% increase from the previous year—and attracting 9,500 specialized visitors from 50 countries.

At SME Consulting, we view this event not merely as a trade show, but as a primary data source for our market intelligence, allowing us to help clients align their business models with the latest shifts in ingredients, processing, and sustainable packaging.

Our industry analysis reveals that the Egyptian food manufacturing market is one of the most resilient and profitable sectors in the MENA region.

• Market Dominance: The Egyptian food market revenue is expected to reach $182.70 billion in 2023, accounting for roughly 22% of the total African food market’s expected revenue.

• Economic Cornerstone: The sector contributes 24.5% to Egypt’s GDP (as of 2021) and provides approximately 7 million job opportunities, making it a critical pillar for national stability and growth.

• Export Strength: In 2022, food industry exports reached $4.1 billion, with Arab countries receiving 50% of these exports, demonstrating Egypt’s role as a regional export hub.

• Industrial Shift: There is a growing trend toward “first level” manufacturing, transforming raw agricultural products into specialized ingredients, to reduce dependency on imports and stabilize supply chains against global price volatility.

• Investment Landscape: Total investments in the food industry have exceeded 500 billion EGP, supported by governmental initiatives such as “Ebda” and the “Nile Pioneers” program.

The 2023 edition was strategically structured to address the diverse needs of the modern F&B ecosystem. The event featured a wide range of categories, with Processing and Manufacturing Machinery leading at 25% of the exhibitor base, followed by Food Ingredients at 15% and Packaging at 11%. This distribution highlights a maturing market that is prioritizing the localization of production and the enhancement of shelf-life technology.

The exhibition featured a robust international footprint, with national pavilions from 30 countries.

Egypt led with 58.71% of exhibitors, followed by major manufacturing hubs like China (19.40%), India (7.96%), and Turkey (3.98%).

This global mix underscores the strategic importance of the MENA region as a hub for cross-continental trade.

Under the patronage of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the event highlighted the government’s commitment to industrial localization.

• Diamond sponsors like Tetra Pak and
• Platinum sponsors like Kamena and Hi-Tek Engineering further validated the expo as the most influential business-to-business platform in the sector.