Date: 06-10 October, 2025
Location: Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-chain (ACES), Kigali, Rwanda
Registration info coming soon.
This unique festival will transform a quiet revolution into a vibrant celebration. Over five dynamic days, Kigali will become the epicentre of innovation, science, creativity, business, and climate action – all focused on one often-overlooked hero: the cold chain.
This isn’t a typical conference, nor a trade show – and it’s certainly not boring. It’s part science fair, part art exhibition, part ideas marketplace, part music festival, and part networking hub.
It’s about rethinking what cooling means in a fast-warming world. It’s about building smarter systems for farmers, resilient vaccine and medicine storage for clinics, greener solutions for entrepreneurs, and career-shaping moments for students. And most of all, it’s your chance to be part of this movement.Agenda: Each day will focus on a distinct cooling and cold-chain theme:
Day 1 – Farmers & Agricultural OutreachConnecting smallholder farmers, cooperatives, and agri-entrepreneurs with practical post-harvest cooling solutions. Sessions will address reducing losses, accessing finance, and adopting technologies that improve food quality, extend shelf life, and boost profitability.
Day 2 – Health OutreachHighlighting the life-saving role of cold chains in healthcare, ensuring the safe storage and delivery of vaccines, blood, and antivenoms. Health workers, planners, and logisticians will gain tools, insights, and networks to strengthen health-related cold-chain systems.
Day 3 – Schools & Public AwarenessEngaging the next generation of innovators and decision-makers through hands-on learning, storytelling, and creative experimentation. Students will explore real-world cooling challenges and discover potential career paths in sustainable cooling, logistics, and climate action.
Day 4 – Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Creative HubCelebrating creativity, entrepreneurship, and the intersection of art and science. This day will serve as a launchpad for bold ideas, showcasing innovations and inspiring youth-led problem-solving for climate-smart cold chains.
Day 5 – Policy Roadmap & Closing GalaSetting the strategic direction by bringing together government, finance, academia, and industry partners to align on a shared policy and investment roadmap for resilient, inclusive, and climate-aligned cold chains in Africa.
Contact: festival-of-cooling@cleancooling.org
