At this year’s IMEX Frankfurt 2026, Janet Karemera painted an optimistic picture of Rwanda’s meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) sector, highlighting consistent growth, expanding continental partnerships and the country’s growing influence on the global business events stage.
Speaking to VoyagesAfriq on the sidelines of the trade show, the CEO of the Rwanda Convention Bureau Janet Karemera said Rwanda’s business events industry continues to thrive despite global economic uncertainties affecting the sector.
“We are very happy as a destination,” she said. “With everything happening in the world, the MICE sector and business events are always hit, but we’re still seeing consistent growth and we’re happy with everything that’s going on.”
Janet Karemera
Africa CEO Forum reinforces Kigali’s positioning
Karemera reflected on the successful hosting of the recent Africa CEO Forum 2026, describing it as a landmark gathering that further cemented Kigali’s position as a premier meetings destination on the continent.
“This is the third time we’re hosting it,” she explained. “The first one was 2019, the second time was 2024, and now it was back this year.”
According to her, the event brought together a broad spectrum of African and international business leaders, creating a unique blend of linguistic and regional representation.
“Our edition really attracts the best from both worlds — French-speaking Africa, English-speaking Africa and Lusophone Africa. It was really well represented,” she said.
The forum attracted more than 2,800 delegates, including top executives, corporate leaders and policymakers from across Africa and Europe.
“It was really an exciting event with great speakers and content and great networking opportunities,” Karemera added.
Strong start to 2026 with diversified events portfolio
Looking at the year so far, Karemera described Rwanda’s performance as steady but promising, building on the momentum generated by major events hosted in 2025, including the UCI Road World Championships.
“We really ended the year on a high note,” she noted. “From conferences to sports events to concerts, our destination is really diversified in terms of the types of events we attract.”
She highlighted several major events already hosted or scheduled for 2026, including the Nuclear Energy Innovation Summit for Africa, the Basketball Africa League Finals, Mobile World Congress Kigali, the International Security Conference on Africa, Africa Food Systems Forum, and many others.
Karemera also emphasized Rwanda’s strategy of developing homegrown event brands instead of relying solely on attracting international meetings.
“We’re not just looking at attracting events, we’re also creating our own events,” she said, pointing to initiatives such as the Africa Coffee and Tea Expo taking place in July, developed with Rwanda Events, and Sportsbiz Africa Forum in September.
ICCA Congress 2027 expected to elevate Africa’s visibility
Rwanda’s successful bid to host the ICCA Congress 2027 has significantly boosted the country’s international profile within the meetings industry.
Karemera said the announcement generated heightened interest in Rwanda during IMEX Frankfurt.
“I think since we announced as the ICCA hosts next year, that’s also heightened our visibility and our destination,” she said.
She promised that the congress would go beyond promoting Rwanda alone.
“We’re not just showcasing Rwanda, we’re showcasing our continent,” Karemera stressed. “We’re going to be working with the Africa Chapter ICCA to really showcase our destinations and what Africa has been silently building.”
She added that the event would combine “content, culture, MICE conversations” while demonstrating Africa’s growing sophistication in hosting global meetings.
Rwanda welcomes Africa’s rise in ICCA rankings
Karemera also celebrated Africa’s improving performance in the latest International Congress and Convention Association rankings, where Kigali remains among the continent’s leading meetings destinations.
“We’re happy, of course,” she said. “Kigali is consistently number two, with Cape Town right above us.”
She welcomed the emergence of new African destinations such as Kenya and Uganda in the continental rankings, describing it as evidence of Africa’s growing competitiveness.
“If we all work together, if people record events properly and take note of what’s happening in their industry, they’ll be able to showcase what we have and show that we’re competitive,” she said.
Collaboration over competition
A major theme throughout the interview was continental collaboration. Karemera stressed that Rwanda has consistently shared knowledge and expertise with other African destinations seeking to develop their MICE industries.
She cited partnerships with South African cities including Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, as well as growing cooperation with Angola, Kenya and Uganda.
ICCASkills Hub helping build African talent
On capacity building, Karemera highlighted the importance of the ICCASkills Hub Africa established in Rwanda, describing it as a critical tool for training and upskilling African meetings professionals.
“For the longest time, there was an ICCASkills Hub in Europe and Latin America, but Africa was missing out,” she said.
She explained that the initiative is already benefiting professionals from across the continent, including participants from Zambia, Kenya and Uganda.
“It was important for us to have the right information because when we go to bid, we’re competing with others who have been in this sector for over 20 years,” she said.
Karemera added that international trainers visiting Rwanda are often surprised by the progress African destinations have already made.
Ambitious revenue target ahead
Looking to the future, Karemera disclosed that Rwanda aims to generate $224 million from the MICE sector by 2029.
“We have a lot of work to do as a destination,” she said.
Still, she remains confident that through collaboration, consistency and strategic event development, Rwanda can continue strengthening its position as one of Africa’s leading business events hubs.
