Rwanda

United for Efficiency supports Rwanda’s transition to sustainable cooling solutions in the built environment through a comprehensive approach combining policy development, financial mechanisms, capacity building and awareness-raising.

Since 2018, Rwanda has advanced ambitious actions to promote energy-efficient and climate-friendly cooling. U4E supports these efforts through the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold Chain (ACES) and the Rwanda Cooling Initiative (R-COOL), contributing to the country’s energy efficiency and climate goals.

At a Glance

Focus on sustainable cooling in buildings, agriculture and health sectors
Combination of policy, financing, capacity building and awareness
Implementation through ACES and Rwanda Cooling Initiative (R-COOL)
Supported by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Readiness Programme

Project Details

Main Components

ACES was launched in 2020 by the Governments of Rwanda and the United Kingdom (Defra), United for Efficiency (U4E), the Centre for Sustainable Cooling, and academic partners. It is hosted by the University of Rwanda at its Rubirizi Campus in Kigali.

The Centre aims to accelerate the uptake of sustainable cold chain solutions in the agriculture and health sectors across Africa.

ACES is implemented in four phases:

Phase I (2020–2021): Cooling needs assessment, governance structure and partner agreements
Phase II (2021–2022): Design and construction of facilities, procurement of equipment and initiation of research and training programmes
Phase III (2022): Establishment of outreach centres (SPOKEs) and expansion of activities
Phase IV (2023 onwards): Scaling up across Africa and dissemination of solutions and lessons learned

Rwanda Cooling Initiative (R-COOL)

U4E supports Rwanda Cooling Initiative (R-COOL), including through additional funding received in 2023 from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Readiness Programme.

The initiative supports the implementation of appliance standards, development of a product registration system and broader strengthening of the cooling sector, alongside the operationalisation of the first ACES Rwanda SPOKE.