Diaspora (Commonwealth Union)—In the heart of Kigali, a revolution is quietly unfolding that has the potential to redefine the manner in which Africa feeds itself and the world. The Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-Chain (ACES), the first ever of its type anywhere on the planet, is about much more than technology development; it’s a declaration of ambition that sustainable cooling systems can be the force behind rural economic transformation across the continent. With state-of-the-art facilities like sub-Saharan Africa’s only environmental test chamber that is not in South Africa, variable temperature rooms, and a research farm that is well-equipped, ACES is tackling one of development’s largest lingering challenges: the 50% of food that spoils on routes to markets in regions where millions starve.
The center’s approach represents a paradigm shift in food security. Rather than simply ramping up farm production, ACES works to maintain what’s already been grown by implementing integrated cold-chain systems that connect pre-cooling, storage, and refrigerated transport. The “seed to plate” strategy acknowledges that the distribution and preservation of food in Africa are more crucial than its yield. The Community Cooling Hub is an ideal illustration of how farm communities have the potential to take raw produce and transform it into market-ready, branded products that see value-added returns to rural areas rather than being lost through spoilage.
ACES is particularly groundbreaking in that it understands that cooling infrastructure is not only food preservation but also a catalyst for broader development. By creating jobs across farming, logistics, and processing, and particularly among young women who account for 60% of Africa’s under-25s, sustainable cold chain is a gender and youth employment engine. The center’s night school for working engineers and the local innovator accelerator are examples of a commitment to building capacity at every level, from smallholder farmers through tech start-ups.
The timing couldn’t be more critical. With 65% of the world’s uncultivated arable land in Africa and climate change threatening agricultural systems, developing resilient food systems is an urgent necessity and an enormous economic opportunity. As ACES’ inaugural director, Professor Toby Peters, emphasizes, the center both has the “opportunity and responsibility” to use international investment and confidence to build systems that first deliver benefits to African communities. The UK-Rwanda partnership that underpins ACES shows how international cooperation can power locally-led development without foisting external solutions.
Most importantly, ACES represents a total rethinking of the development path for Africa. Rather than duplicating industrialized economies’ power-guzzling models of air conditioning, the center is leading the way in creating sustainable solutions for African contexts in terms of solar energy, cutting-edge storage technology, and circular economy models. This puts Africa in a position to leapfrog obsolete systems like it has with mobile banking, creating climate-resilient infrastructure that supports both economic growth and stewardship. In Rwanda’s emerging cooling revolution in Kigali, we don’t just witness enhanced preservation of food but also the seed of a more equitable and resilient African economy.
