The Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE) formally accredited the 'Train the Trainer' programme delivered by the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-Chain (ACES), and the Clean Cooling Network (CCN) at the ACES campus in Kigali.

This recognition confirms that the programme now offers students a Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) in Train the Trainer – Clean Cooling, and a Master of Science (MSc) in Clean Cooling, marking a significant step forward in professionalising the global clean cooling and cold-chain workforce.

The accreditation recognises the high academic and professional standards of the programme and its alignment with IAgrE’s mission to promote engineering excellence, innovation, and sustainability in agriculture, the environment, and food systems. With this approval, the qualifications are now formally recognised.

These include Postgraduate Certificate (1 year): PGCert Train the Trainer – Clean Cooling, Master of Science (2 years): MSc Clean Cooling, with three specialisation streams, namely Sustainable Cooling, Cold-Chain for Postharvest Management and Value Addition, and Cold-Chain and Business Models.

The intensive Train the Trainer (TtT) course provides community leaders and mobilisers with comprehensive knowledge in refrigeration, cold-chain applications, cooling hub design, and essential business models for food and pharmaceutical sectors. The course includes ten one-week modules. At the end of the course, successful candidates will receive a PGCert.

The programme can be extended by one year for students wishing to gain specialised knowledge in specific areas related to the sustainable cold-chain, at the end of which they will be awarded an MSc.

Building capacity for climate-resilient development

Globally, an estimated 526 million tonnes of food are lost each year due to the absence of effective cold-chains—equivalent to nearly 12 per cent of all food produced for human consumption.

In Africa, this challenge is particularly critical, where 30–50 per cent of perishable produce is lost post-harvest, contributing to food insecurity, economic losses, and avoidable greenhouse gas emissions.

By equipping engineers, technicians, and trainers with world-class skills and credentials, this programme helps turn these statistics into opportunities, empowering communities to design and maintain efficient, low-carbon cold-chains that protect food, health, and livelihoods.

Charles Nicklin (CEng FIAgrE), Chief Executive Officer of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers, said: "We recognise the high standards applied to your programme and the alignment with our core professional and educational values. We look forward to our continued collaboration in maintaining the quality and relevance of professional training provision.”

A global model for professionalising clean cooling

The IAgrE endorsement represents a milestone not only for ACES and CCN but also for the broader international effort to develop the next generation of clean cooling professionals.

The Train the Trainer pathway provides a range of module learning structures covering refrigeration technology, postharvest management, telemetry and data logging, gender inclusion, sustainable finance, and policy leadership.

Professor Toby Peters, Founding Director of ACES and co-founder of the Clean Cooling Network, said: "This is a moment of genuine significance—for our programme, for the communities we serve, and for the growing global network working to make cooling a critical infrastructure for climate resilience. To move from our first pilot course to full accreditation at PGCert and MSc levels reflects the collective rigour, innovation, and shared vision that underpin our mission.”

He added that this endorsement strengthens their commitment to creating a recognised professional pathway—one that connects evidence, education, and empowerment to build a workforce ready for a sustainable cooling future.

The courses were developed through an academic partnership led by the University of Birmingham, Cranfield University, and London South Bank University, with funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Defra is investing more than £25 million in the programme to accelerate the delivery of sustainable, resilient, and equitable cooling and cold-chains in developing countries, supporting improvements in food security and resilience, as well as advancing social, health, environmental, and economic goals—both locally and globally.

With over 3,000 members worldwide, IAgrE’s endorsement provides international recognition for the programme and reinforces ACES and CCN’s growing institutional foundation for future partnerships, accreditations, and research collaborations.

Founded in 1938, the Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE) is the UK’s professional body for engineers, scientists, and technologists working in agriculture, the environment, and agri-tech industries.

The Institution promotes the application of engineering and scientific principles to enhance productivity, sustainability, and innovation across global food and environmental systems.

ACES is a first-of-its-kind global Centre of Excellence focused on developing holistic and sustainable system-level cold-chain solutions.

Built on a Hub and Specialised Outreach and Knowledge Establishment (SPOKE) model, ACES shares knowledge, training, and technical support across markets.

ACES serves as the first regional Hub, while SPOKEs, developed with in-country expert partners, provide local training and community support to put tested, real-world solutions into practice.

The Clean Cooling Network (CCN) platform connects all hubs and SPOKEs, offering a single, consistent source of data, delivery models, tested technologies, training resources, governance frameworks, and standard