Kigali, 08 July 2020 – A new African Centre of Excellence for sustainable cooling and cold chain based in Rwanda will help get farmers’ produce to market quickly and efficiently – reducing food waste, boosting profits and creating jobs.
Based in Kigali and inspired by the University of Rwanda’s existing Africa Centre of Excellence of Energy for Sustainable Development, the new Centre – which is operational and already conducting feasibility studies – aims to link the country’s farmers, logistics providers and agri-food businesses with a range of experts and investors. In future phases, the scope will be expanded to cover interested partners in Africa.
Rwanda’s Cooling Initiative (RCOOL), supported by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) through its United for Efficiency (U4E) programme, provides the foundation for the new Centre, which is part of the country’s National Cooling Strategy, launched in 2019.
‘‘The African Centre of Excellence in Energy for Sustainable Development is delighted to be part of this important work on sustainable cold chain for food and medicines – energy-efficient, climate-friendly, and affordable cooling and cold chains can improve agricultural efficiency and boost farmers’ incomes, driving real environmental and economic change,” said Professor Etienne Ntagwirumugara, the Director of the Centre for The African Centre of Excellence in Energy for Sustainable Development. Read more…
