SPOKEs
SPecialised Outreach and Knowledge Establishments
Our centres are designed within a “Hub and SPOKE” model.
While the hub is the physical centre, such as the ACES Rubirizi campus, SPOKEs are being developed in strategic locations, with expertise tailored to specific areas to demonstrate how these solutions can be deployed practically across the continent.
What are SPOKEs?
Other key elements of a SPOKE include:
- Farmers – making a financial commitment to a co-operative.
- The co-operative – investigating and developing their own financial models
Register interest for a SPOKE
Complementing these, another key overarching pillar in the wider programme is training future trainers who can then go out and work either developing the model in their own communities or create a career supporting other communities. We also run a variety of underpinning foundation, policymaker and wider training programmes (in-person and online), including technical training for refrigeration engineers as well as health and safety and Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) courses.
Interested in the "hub and SPOKE" model? Contact: [email protected]
Essential reading
ACES Mini Cooling Festival "makes STEM come to life" for Rwandan schoolchildren
10th Dec 2025
On Saturday 6 December, 132 students from Ntare Louisenlund School travelled to the ACES campus in Kigali for a "Mini Cooling Festival", a hands-on learning event that set out to "inspire students to understand refrigeration while they are still young".
"On the right track": Zachary Kibiri on the successes and struggles of the Lari Cooperative
3rd Dec 2025
Zachary Kibiri, a Kenyan farmer and chairman of the Lari Cooperative, discusses the benefits of being part of the cooperative, the challenges they face and what they're focused on going forward.
ACES to welcome school children for a Special STEM visit on December 6th
2nd Dec 2025
The excitement from the 2025 Festival of Cooling is still spreading and this time, it’s bringing an entire class to ACES for a dedicated hands-on learning experience.
"I’m very excited to be part of this movement": Head of Research, Jean Baptiste Ndahetuye, on five years at ACES
1st Dec 2025
Jean Baptiste Ndahetuye reflects on five years at ACES, including what he's most proud of, ACES's focus on community engagement and what he's looking forward to, in the next stage of work.
