The government through the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) is able to secure $1.3 million (approximately Rwf1.5 billion) from partners to aid in the establishment of a cold-chain system. The principal purpose of the project is to decrease losses from postharvest and enhance the cold chain infrastructure such as storage and distribution of vaccines through the provision of clean cooling options throughout Rwanda.
The money, which is from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as well as the Green Climate Fund (GCF) can be used to help in the creation and operation of the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-Chain (ACES). The centre, founded in the year 2020, is being managed by the University of Rwanda (UR) on its Rubirizi Campus in Kigali and will aim to minimize losses from food by using energy efficient and environmentally friendly cooling techniques. It will also provide aid in technical and capacity-building to improve the development of cold chains throughout the country.
the Director General for REMA, Juliet Kabera, stated that the assistance received will help create the cold chain that will help farmers by allowing the transport of perishable products into urban markets, without losing the quality. Cooling solutions can allow farmers to pick their produce at the right the right time and keep their produce in cold rooms as soon as they are harvested to ensure the preservation of the freshness of their produce. They can later be shipped to markets and still be of good quality and buyers can place them in coolers in order to avoid any loss of high-quality.
“Making cold chains an integral component of Rwanda’s crucial infrastructure is vital for limiting food losses and improving the quality of life for people, speeding up the growth of our economy, and reaching the goals of our Vision 2050, as well as fulfilling our international obligations under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol as well as the Paris Agreement. We will receive support to guarantee the sustainability of methods of cooling and cold chain,” Kabera added.
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