The UK-Rwanda Climate Partnership Conference, convened by the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold Chain (ACES), concluded on 25 March 2026 with proposed solutions to address gaps in cooling and cold-chain systems. Following a guided tour of the ACES campus, where participants engaged with facilities and explored Rwanda’s progress in sustainable cooling and cold-chain management, attendees joined breakout sessions on key themes. These included food systems and cold-chain competitiveness, One Health approach, cooling and system integrity, workforce and certification infrastructure, and incubation and manufacturing readiness. The discussions examined practical gaps and aligned solutions needed to strengthen implementation and support long-term scale-up. One Health approach and cooling systems Discussions on One Health approach, cooling, and system integrity focused on vaccine and pharmaceutical cold-chain integrity, temperature monitoring compliance, certification of medical refrigeration systems, inspector training for health facilities, and rural health resilience. Experts noted that the breakout sessions were sector-specific covering a wide range of sector, while recognising that cooling and cold-chain systems are critical infrastructure underpinning all of them. “One Health is a holistic approach through which we look at health not only human health, but also animal health and the environment,” said Jean Pierre Musabyimana, Director of One Health at ACES. He explained that humans interact closely with animals and the environment, whether through livestock consumption, pet ownership, or visiting natural ecosystems. “Through these interactions, there is a constant exchange—our health affects theirs, and theirs affects ours.” He warned that interventions focusing only on human health, without considering animals and the environment, leave significant gaps. “A clear example is antimicrobial resistance, which is becoming a major global challenge. One contributing factor is the lack of a balanced approach to antimicrobial use in both humans and animals,” he said. Musabyimana underscored the critical role of cold-chain systems in One Health. Many interventions, including vaccines, rely on effective refrigeration. “Most vaccines require refrigeration, and newer technologies such as mRNA vaccines—require ultra-low temperatures of up to minus 70 degrees Celsius to remain effective,” he stated. He added that maintaining such temperatures is costly and energy-intensive, requiring specialised expertise and system design to achieve effectiveness. “This is why improving energy efficiency in cold-chain systems is essential, and why the topic is more relevant than ever.” He highlighted the importance of bringing together stakeholders from different sectors to collaborate on improving livelihoods through better cooling systems. Food systems and cold-chain competitiveness Discussions on food systems and cold-chain competitiveness focused on value addition, export readiness, compliance with standards, cold-chain performance, technical capacity, and regulatory barriers to scaling. Dr Natalia Falagán, Senior Lecturer in Food Science and Technology at Cranfield University, said participants examined both regulatory and technical requirements needed to strengthen Rwanda’s export competitiveness. “We discussed priority crops in Rwanda, with mango and avocado identified as high-value products with strong development potential,” she said. There was significant interest in processed products such as juices, dairy products like yoghurt, powdered foods, jams and tomato-based products, with juices emerging as a key focus. Participants identified several barriers. Access to raw materials remains a challenge, particularly where inputs such as those for apple juice production must be imported, increasing costs and exposure to supply disruptions. Access to finance was another major constraint. “Interest rates in Rwanda range from 17 to 20 per cent, and it is often difficult for small and medium-sized enterprises to secure loans due to perceived risk,” Falagán noted. On export competitiveness, she highlighted that while Rwanda has strong production capacity, limited access to international standards and certifications restricts market access. “A good example is avocado exports. Although they fetch high prices internationally, disruptions such as flight cancellations can leave producers without alternative markets due to lack of certification,” she explained. Participants also emphasised the importance of post-harvest handling. While aggregation is often promoted as a solution, its associated costs are frequently overlooked. There was also strong interest in training and capacity building. Workforce and certification infrastructure The workforce and certification session focused on technical certification pathways, inspector training, regulatory enforcement, engineering capacity, alignment between technical and higher education, and workforce scaling models. Professor Judith Evans of London South Bank University said one workshop examined training and technical needs, identifying gaps in existing courses. “We identified a wide range of priority areas, with health and safety ranking highly, including ammonia safety and electrical isolation. Water treatment was also highlighted,” she said. Participants also expressed interest in advanced topics such as solar technologies, electrical fault-finding, and degree-level training in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). Other priorities included manufacturing skills, heat recovery, preventive maintenance, circularity and remanufacturing. Frozen food market development and smallholder integration This session explored market demand, infrastructure readiness, export certification, cold storage and logistics, regulatory oversight, financing requirements, and integration of smallholder farmers into frozen food value chains. Professor Evans noted strong interest in freezing food for export by sea rather than air, as well as in developing scalable infrastructure. “There was a clear preference for starting with smaller facilities and expanding over time,” she said. However, challenges remain in integrating producers and ensuring that food reaches freezing facilities in optimal condition. This underscores the need to strengthen the entire value chain. Participants stressed the importance of regulation, standards, certification, inspection and traceability, alongside innovative financing models. Consumer perception was also highlighted. “In some markets, frozen food is seen as high quality, while in others it is perceived as low quality. This depends on how it is introduced,” Evans said, noting the importance of positioning frozen food positively in Rwanda. Incubation and manufacturing readiness The session on incubation and manufacturing readiness focused on supporting domestic manufacturing, validating equipment performance, fostering innovation, strengthening SME readiness, and transitioning from pilot projects to bankable enterprises. Dr Gace Dalson, Head of Innovation and Incubation at ACES, said the centre is establishing a new incubation hub to translate research into viable businesses. “Many strong ideas already exist, but the challenge is making them bankable. The hub will support ventures to grow, enter the market and become sustainable,” he said. He stressed the importance of engaging potential funders such as banks, customers and venture capitalists early in the process to align business development with funding requirements. Michael Ayres, Managing Director at Flexible Power Systems, added that a new tool is being developed to track progress from idea to commercialisation across technical, manufacturing and market readiness. He said the proposed tool would improve credit assessment by helping applicants prepare stronger loan applications, including technical specifications, market connections, logistics planning and financial modelling. “This could reduce application times, improve quality, and reduce reliance on consultants. It could also support project monitoring and enable financial innovations such as insurance and blended finance,” he added. Professor Toby Peters, Founding Director of ACES, said the centre is in the final stages of applying for accreditation as a higher education institution in Rwanda.
