Strengthening Cold-Chain Capacity in Africa: CCN Successfully Hosts Pivotal Foundation Course
From August 25th to 29th, 2025, the Clean Cooling Network (CCN), in partnership with the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), and the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-Chain (ACES) hosted the 4th Cohort Foundation Course Training at the Desmond Tutu Conference Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. The five-day training brought together 14 participants, including engineers, agribusiness practitioners, aquaculture trainers, quality control officers, and early-career professionals, for an intensive learning experience on cold-chain systems and their applications in the food and pharmaceutical sectors.
Commenting on the value of the experience, Keziah Khalinditsa, one of the course attendees, said, "It has been a very insightful and interactive week. The training was truly hands-on, and it felt great to gain insights directly from farmers and suppliers engaged in the cold-chain. I would definitely recommend this training to people beyond the agribusiness sector."
The course covered a wide range of essential topics, including cold-chain fundamentals, refrigeration technologies, refrigerant choices, environmental impacts, postharvest management, regulatory compliance, and vaccine cold-chain requirements. Participants also explored business models, logistics, and telematics while engaging in highly interactive discussions, practical experiments, and peer-to-peer learning.
A key highlight was the field visit to the Kinale Aggregation Centre and Tigoni Grown packhouse at Tilisi Logistics Park, where course attendees observed cold-chain technologies in action, from farm-level operations and aggregation to modern temperature-controlled storage, processing, and logistics. These visits provided valuable exposure to cooperative models, solar-powered systems, pre-cooling processes, and technology-driven traceability.
The training wrapped up with business model presentations, where participants pitched innovative solutions such as value-added dairy processing and integrated livestock farming. Post-training evaluations reflected overwhelming satisfaction, with participants praising the strong balance of theory and practice, the expertise of facilitators, and the exposure to real-world cold-chain systems.
The Foundation Course continues to strengthen local capacity for sustainable cold-chain solutions across Kenya and the region, empowering participants to apply their knowledge in reducing postharvest losses, enhancing food safety, improving livelihoods, and advancing climate resilience. It is an essential component to the future success of Africa’s vital cold-chain infrastructure.
To learn more about upcoming courses, we encourage you to visit the CCN Academy today.