ACES Marks Ozone Day 2025 at Kigali Campus: Celebrating 40 Years of Global Action

On 16 September 2025, the African Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-Chain (ACES) joined the global community in commemorating the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer and the 40th Anniversary of the Vienna Convention. This year’s theme, "40 Years of the Vienna Convention: From Science to Global Action", resonated strongly with the Centre, which hosted Rwanda’s national celebrations at its Rubirizi Campus in Kigali.

The ACES-based event, led by the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA), brought together government leaders, technical experts, innovators, youth, and the private sector to reflect on the nation’s journey in ozone protection. As the birthplace of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, Rwanda has played a leading role in tackling hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) emissions in the cooling sector.

Through ACES, Rwanda has taken clear steps that recognise both the challenges and opportunities of tackling cooling related HFC emissions. Actions have included embracing the opportunities to support optimised implementation of the Kigali Amendment through capacity building and technological innovation and supporting the direct transition to sustainable and climate friendly alternatives.

The day’s program featured an exhibition of youth-led innovations, locally developed air-quality monitoring tools, and climate-friendly cooling solutions, alongside knowledge-sharing sessions by ACES and other leading institutions such as AIMS.

Rwanda’s achievements under the Montreal Protocol - including through its award winning Rwanda National Cooling Action Plan - were highlighted as concrete examples of turning international commitments into real-world impact.

And this year, at the Montreal Protocol Meeting of the Parties, Rwanda are leading actions to emphasise the important role of specialised centres of excellence, such as ACES, in delivering knowledge and innovation that can address capacity building and technology adoption support. Activities that are essential to optimising a country’s implementation of the Kigali Amendment. This represents a key step in leading ambition and opportunities ahead of the ten year anniversary of the Kigali Amendment next year.

Speaking at the celebration, Hon. Dr. Bernadette Arakwiye, Rwanda’s Minister of Environment, underlined Rwanda’s pride in hosting ACES and the Centre’s importance to the African continent:

"Rwanda is very proud to host the ACES here in Rubirizi. This Centre is not only serving our country but also supporting knowledge, exchange, training and technology transfer across Africa, as we just heard this afternoon." She continued...

"It is a strong symbol of Rwanda's role in advancing solutions that combine ozone protection, energy efficiency, food security, and climate resilience. And through the Rwanda Cooling Initiative supported by the Green Climate Fund, we are also working to ensure that cooling in homes, in hospitals, and in our businesses, and across the agricultural value chains is both sustainable and accessible. And this is critical because cooling touches every part of our economy and society, and to be honest, we are headed into new, unusual times, and this technology is no longer going to be just a luxury. It’s going to be a necessity for our everyday life.”

The Minister’s remarks echoed Rwanda’s longstanding leadership in environmental protection and climate resilience. By phasing out ozone-depleting substances, and through its commitments and investment in ACES, Rwanda is pioneering the role that these centres can play in providing continued support to local capacity and expertise on technical and policy issues, including product design and local adaptation and testing of technologies in a cost-effective manner. Through its valuable experiences, tools and learning, ACES can become a centre of reference, both as Africa’s regional hub for training, research, and technology transfer on sustainable cooling, and globally with the Centre demonstrating the power of collaboration in tackling environmental challenges that transcend borders.

The 2025 Ozone Day reaffirmed Rwanda’s position as a country that not only meets its international obligations but also inspires innovation for Africa and beyond. With every initiative, from youth innovation competitions to policy reforms, Rwanda shows that protecting the ozone layer and ensuring clean air is a collective race where every breath matters.