Carrier Transicold is providing transport refrigeration units, connected cold chain solutions and training to help advance cold chain development in East Africa as part of an agreement with the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold Chain (ACES).
An inauguration ceremony for the ACES facility in Kigali, Rwanda, which included the Honorable Rwanda Minister of the Environment Dr. Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya and David Hill, Director-General Environment, Rural and Marine, Defra, UK Government, was held on March 4, and the first cold chain training classes were conducted. ACES is a first-of-its-kind comprehensive, one-stop hub for technical assistance and knowledge transfer for the cold chain. By mid-2024, the facility will include a state-of-the-art technology testing and demonstration center, a fully equipped refrigeration and data telematics training facility, classrooms, a conference center and a 200-hectare smart farm.
ACES brings together multi-disciplinary expertise and commercial partners, including government, industry, academia, communities and other stakeholders. It was originally initiated by the University of Birmingham and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) working together to design transformative solutions with foundational funding from the UK Government.
“Carrier Transicold is pleased to continue to collaborate with ACES to develop sustainable cold chain in the agriculture and health sectors throughout Africa,” said Vincent Blaising, Managing Director, External Distribution, EMEA & South-East Asia for Carrier Transicold International Truck Trailer. “This collaboration empowers individuals by helping them build valuable, lifelong skills, helping to support the local community, as well as actively developing a sustainable cold chain, leading to reduced food waste in the region”.
ACES has developed a foundation course to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of fundamental concepts, skills and knowledge within the food and pharma cold chains. The foundation course serves as a building block, preparing individuals for more advanced and specialized studies or practical applications. Delivered by academic and industry partners, Carrier Transicold will conduct theoretical and practical professional trainings on cold chain and transport refrigeration systems. To support the program, Carrier Transicold is providing two models of advanced truck refrigeration units for practical demonstrations and trainings, the Citimax 280 and the Supra® HE 6, as well as Carrier’s connected cold chain solution Lynx Fleet telematics platform, offering end-to-end supply chain visibility, control and intelligence.
“Carrier Transicold is a key supporter of the institute. It is thanks to the global leadership and expertise of our collaborators that we are confident in the quality of the programs that will be available at ACES,” said Toby Peters, Centre for Sustainable Cooling Director and Professor of Cold Economy, University of Birmingham and Heriot-Watt University. “Collaboration is key to reach our goal to optimize cold chain solutions for food and health in East Africa.”
Carrier Transicold’s collaboration with ACES contributes to Carrier’s 2030 Environmental, Social and Governance goals to positively impact communities by alleviating hunger and food loss, and promote sustainability through education, partnerships and climate resiliency programs.
