The Clean Cooling Network and the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-chain (ACES) are hosting the “Festival of Cooling” from September 22-26, 2025, at the ACES Campus in Kigali, Rwanda. The event will promote sustainable cold chain solutions through awareness, capacity building, and collaboration.

Bringing together key stakeholders from across sectors, the festival will tackle the challenges and unlock the opportunities within the cold chain. More than a one-off event, it is designed to create a lasting impact through community outreach, skill development, and ongoing stakeholder engagement.

ACES is a joint effort by UNEP United for Efficiency (U4E) in partnership with the University of Birmingham-led Centre for Sustainable Cooling, the Governments of the United Kingdom and Rwanda, and partner organizations.

The Festival of Cooling will convey the critical role of cold chains in food security and reducing waste to improve livelihoods and enhance food preservation practices by educating stakeholders on the benefits of sustainable cold chains. It will also emphasize the importance of the cold chain for public health, particularly in vaccine storage and distribution.

The event will connect experts with communities to help develop practical solutions and facilitate knowledge exchange. The organizers seek to encourage real-world applications of sustainable cold chain technologies and business models by fostering direct engagement between technical specialists and local stakeholders.

It is also an opportunity to inspire students and the next generation toward careers in refrigeration and sustainable food systems. By introducing young people to the importance of cold chains, the initiative hopes to build a skilled workforce to drive future advancements in cooling technologies, food security, and climate resilience.

Additionally, the event will influence policy and investment in cold-chain infrastructure by engaging government officials, industry leaders, and financial stakeholders to help create supportive frameworks and funding mechanisms that expand sustainable cold-chain solutions.

Finally, the aim is to establish ACES as Africa’s premier cold chain research and innovation hub. The event will strengthen its role as the go-to centre for cold chain-related solutions, partnerships, and technical support in Africa by showcasing ACES’ expertise, network, and facilities.

Event Highlights & Key Activities

The overall schedule is as follows:

• Day 1 – Schools and Universities
• Day 2 – Health outreach
• Day 3 – Farmers outreach
• Day 4 – Innovation, entrepreneurship and creative hub
• Day 5 – Policy roadmap, closing gala

Building on these activities, we will establish cold chain clubs, , appoint cold chain ambassadors, provide continuous mentorship and training, and launch an ACES online hub for continued learning.

A full programme will be published shortly.  For more information or how to engage, please get in touch with fe*****************@cl**********.org or al**********@un.org.