The Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-Chain (ACES) is equipping a new generation of professionals with practical skills to reduce food and value loss across Rwanda’s post-harvest system, strengthening the efficiency, resilience, and economic potential of the country’s cold chain.

Through its training programmes, the centre is building expertise in cold-chain systems and food handling to improve product quality, reduce inefficiencies, and enhance food security across the country.

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Rwanda’s agriculture sector remains a pillar of the economy, contributing at least 20 per cent to GDP and employing about 60 per cent of the workforce. However, persistent post-harvest inefficiencies continue to undermine farmers’ incomes, limit market opportunities, and affect food quality and nutrition.

Now, ACES is stepping in with practical solutions, positioning itself at the frontline of efforts to address these challenges through innovation and capacity building.

At the centre of this effort is its flagship "Train the Trainer Programme,” designed to equip a new generation of professionals with hands-on expertise in cold-chain systems, critical infrastructure for preserving food quality and maintaining market value.

The initiative also extends beyond agriculture to vaccine handling, addressing inefficiencies in health systems where cold-chain gaps contribute to significant losses.

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Dr. Jean-Baptiste Ndahetuye, Head of the Food Systems Department at ACES, underscored the urgency of addressing both food loss and value loss across supply chains.

"Currently, we have problems in the food system. There is food loss and value loss. A trader may sell fresh produce at a good price in the morning, but by evening, without proper cooling, the price drops significantly,” he said.

"That loss is not just about food, but also affects income, nutrition, and the entire economy,” he added.

Without effective cooling systems, Rwanda’s agricultural potential risks being eroded through spoilage, declining product quality, and missed market opportunities, particularly for highly perishable produce.

Without effective cooling systems, Rwanda’s agricultural potential risks being eroded through spoilage, declining product quality, and missed market opportunities, particularly for highly perishable produce.

Beyond theory: training problem-solvers

Unlike conventional programmes, ACES’ initiative goes beyond classroom learning. Structured into 10 intensive modules, it blends technical training with practical application, covering cold-chain design, refrigeration technology, post-harvest management, energy use, data analytics, business development, and social inclusion.

Participants are expected not only to understand cooling systems but to design, implement, and scale them. By the end of the programme, each develops a finance-ready business model for a viable cooling solution.

"We expect participants to diagnose problems, design solutions, and build business models that are profitable for all actors in the value chain. They are not just learners but problem solvers, innovators, and future trainers,” Dr. Ndahetuye said.

Graduates are then tasked with passing on this knowledge to farmers, cooperatives, and communities,creating a multiplier effect that extends far beyond the classroom.

Students turning ideas into practical solutions

For participants, the programme is already reshaping perspectives and sparking locally relevant solutions.

Ruth Umwali Umukundwa, a crop production graduate from the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA), sees post-harvest management as a critical in the agricultural system

"As someone with a background in crop production, I’m particularly interested in post-harvest management,” she said. ""We are experiencing significant losses across the value chain. Learning techniques to reduce those losses is what excites me most.”

She is also keen to challenge misconceptions that cooling systems are costly or complex.

Cold-chain starts immediately after harvest. Even simple practices like pre-cooling, removing field heat, can make a big difference. It doesn’t always require high investment,” She explained.

Umwali plans to work closely with women’s cooperatives to expand awareness and adoption.

"We need to make this knowledge accessible, especially to rural farmers who may think it’s out of reach. If they understand it, they can implement it and that changes everything,” she said.

"If every farmer understands and applies cold-chain principles, we will reduce losses, improve quality, and increase income. That alone can transform our agriculture sector,” she added.

William Gashakamba Mugisha, a mechanisation graduate from RICA, is already thinking about scalable interventions.

"In local markets, you see high levels of spoilage. Produce that remains unsold quickly goes bad. That’s where we need intervention,” he observed.

His proposed solution is a community cooling hub near markets, allowing farmers and traders to store produce and sell it gradually.

"If we significantly reduce post-harvest losses, , the increased income can offset the cost of cooling,” he explained. "It’s not an expense, it’s an investment.”

He also highlighted low-cost innovations such as charcoal-based coolers and evaporative systems as accessible entry points.

"We should start simple; train farmers on basic cooling methods before introducing more advanced systems. That way, they see the value and adopt it more easily,” he said.

Building resilient food systems

ACES’ broader ambition is to strengthen entire value chains from farms to markets to health systems, by targeting a diverse group of participants, including policymakers, community leaders, NGOs, and investors.

"We want participants to link farmers to markets, to financing, and to each other,” Ndahetuye said. "Strengthening those connections is key to solving the problem quickly and sustainably.”

The programme’s popularity reflects its growing relevance. With just 20 to 25 slots per cohort, ACES receives hundreds of applications applications, evidence of rising awareness around the importance of cold-chain systems.

Who should apply—and why it matters?

The programme targets professionals in agriculture, engineering, refrigeration, agribusiness, and food or pharmaceutical supply chains. Applicants are expected to have at least three years of experience or strong foundational knowledge, along with a commitment to applying solutions in real-world contexts.

But beyond qualifications, ACES is looking for changemakers.

"We need people who can identify challenges in their communities and develop practical solutions,” Dr. Ndahetuye said. "People who are ready to transfer knowledge and make an impact.”

As Rwanda pushes toward stronger food security, ACES’ approach, combining skills, systems, and scalable solutions, offers a practical pathway to cut losses, boost incomes, and unlock the full potential of the country’s agricultural sector.