Arusha. Tanzania has lost the hosting rights for the 50th International Apicultural Congress (Apimondia 2027), which will now take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The global beekeeping event, originally scheduled for September 20–25, 2027 in Arusha, was expected to draw over 7,000 delegates, boosting Tanzania’s apiculture industry and economy. The decision to relocate the congress has sparked widespread disappointment across Africa.
Apimondia, the International Federation of Beekeepers’ Associations, is a non-governmental organisation that promotes scientific, technical, social and economic progress in the beekeeping sector.
Its biennial congresses bring together beekeepers, scientists, honey traders and policymakers from around the world.
Tanzania had secured hosting rights at the 2023 Congress in Chile, beating the UAE in the final bidding round. This would have been only the second time the event was held in Africa, after South Africa in 2001.
However, in a statement shared on its social media platforms, Apimondia said the decision followed an inspection visit by its Executive Council to Tanzania, which found that the proposed facilities were inadequate for the expected number of participants.
“The congress will now be organized by the UAE Beekeepers’ Foundation,” Apimondia confirmed.
Apimondia president Jeff Pettis said the 2023 Letter of Agreement with Tanzania required on-site verification by July 2025 to confirm that the venue would be completed and operational.
“After a thorough evaluation, it was concluded that Tanzania could not meet the objectives and the 2027 congress will be hosted by the UAE Beekeepers’ Foundation, the runner-up in the 2023 election,” Dr Pettis said.
Apimondia Africa Regional Committee president David Mukomana lamented the outcome. “It was a rare chance for Africa to host this major global event.
Observers are questioning how the congress could shift from a lush, forested region in East Africa to the arid environment of the UAE,” he said.
The loss is particularly painful for Arusha, which successfully hosted Apimondia 2025 and had already prepared over two million beehives distributed to 120,000 youths in anticipation of the 2027 congress.
The initiative, supported by the former Arusha mayor, Maximilian Iraghe and the Tanzania Forest Services (TFS), was designed to serve as training hubs and demonstration sites for visiting delegates.
Tanzania had hoped to use the congress to launch a youth-centred apiculture agenda and position itself as a global leader in sustainable beekeeping.
With nearly 10 million honeybee colonies in its forests, the country is among Africa’s top producers. It currently ranks 14th globally in beekeeping and second in Africa after Ethiopia.
Official data show Tanzania produces about 35,000 tonnes of honey annually. TFS manages over 20 protected bee reserves covering 39,444 hectares.
TFS commissioner Dos Santos Silayo recently noted that Tanzania has around 9.2 million bee colonies. If fully harnessed, he said, these could yield an estimated 135,000 tonnes of honey annually.
Each colony consists of a queen, hundreds of drones and up to 70,000 worker bees, along with eggs, larvae and pupae.
“This relocation is a blow to our apiculture sector,” said a stakeholder in Arusha’s beekeeping industry, Mr Emmanuel Mgimwa.
“Hosting Apimondia 2027 would have underlined Tanzania’s prominence in the global beekeeping community and promoted the country as a prime investment destination.
The government must follow up closely on such opportunities to protect our future prospects.”
Despite the setback, industry experts say Tanzania’s apiculture remains a vital economic frontier, particularly for rural youth. The sector not only supports livelihoods but also contributes to biodiversity conservation and climate resilience.
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