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Home » Advancing Africa’s cold chain: GCCA’s vision for 2025 and beyond

Advancing Africa’s cold chain: GCCA’s vision for 2025 and beyond

By Paul Matthew, Director for Africa at the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA)

It has certainly been a busy time since I joined GCCA as director for Africa in May 2024.We are in a time of significant change for temperature-controlled storage and logistics providers; there are serious challenges for our industry to overcome but also great potential for growth and exciting new opportunities in refrigerated supply chain.

The Global Cold Chain Alliance

GCCA is committed to providing our members in Africa with expert advice, to advocating on behalf of the cold chain to governments and authorities, and to creating invaluable forums for discussion, sharing knowledge and building new relationships. It was a real pleasure to deliver these commitments when we brought the cold chain together at our GCCA Africa Conference in Cape Town in August.

In addition to the insights and discussions of the conference programme, we also announced our GCCA Call to Action document. This sets out clearly why the cold chain industry in Africa is vital for food security, public health, economic development and sustainability. It details the actions needed to encourage and support investment into this sector and enable the significant long-term benefits for communities across the continent which cold chain growth will deliver.

Since launching this Call to Action at the conference, GCCA has taken its messages to a plethora of politicians, government departments and development officials across the continent. This included a constructive series of meetings in West Africa in September and October, with strong progress made towards accessing the fantastic potential for cold chain growth and development in the region.

One major challenge that our Call to Action document highlights is the widespread issues with reliable access to energy supply. We detailed the impacts of loadshedding in a special report that we published in October 2024, urging governments to work with the cold chain on a suite of policy actions that will allow operators to boost their energy resilience – and therefore Africa’s food supply chain resilience – in preparation for future blackouts and load-shedding.

Paul Matthew, Director for Africa at the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA)
Paul Matthew, Director for Africa at the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA). Supplied by GCCA

In 2025, GCCA Africa will be working to advance the development of cold chain infrastructure and logistics across the continent. There is striking potential for cold chain growth, and GCCA will be working  for the policy environments, networks and solutions to challenges that will allow temperature-controlled logistic operators to deliver the multiple benefits of a growing African cold chain. These cover food waste reduction and improving food supply chain resilience to crucial contributions to international trade, economic growth, public health and environmental sustainability. Throughout the year I will be engaging with various stakeholders, including government entities, private sector companies, and agricultural organisations, to promote best practices and innovative solutions in cold chain management.

A key aspect of our strategy is capacity building for members of the industry through projects. These include training programmes to educate local workers on cold chain operations, ensuring they are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge. I will be driving an instate concept, as well as specific skills training and industry regulation training through the GCCA Africa Risk Management Committee.

Another priority focus for GCCA Africa in 2025 is supporting adoption of new and emerging technologies. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the cold chain in parts of Africa, not least through predictive analytics to help forecast demand and reduce waste; temperature monitoring using AI sensors; route planning for refrigerated transport deliveries informed by traffic patterns, cross-border delays, weather conditions and delivery windows; AI-driven automation in cold storage facilities; and monitoring energy use in refrigeration using AI systems.

The cold chain can play a major role in developing African trade in 2025 and beyond, both at global and intra-Africa levels. GCCA Africa will be helping our members gear up to maintain the integrity of products through temperature control, which is especially important for exports, enhancing the competitiveness of African products in global markets. We will also continue promoting the fact that investing in the cold chain can help the continent access the potential benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

In 2025 our Call to Action strategy will strengthen the African cold chain’s partnerships with policymakers to establish supportive regulations and incentives that foster growth in the temperature-controlled logistics sector. We will be working to ensure a widespread understanding of our industry’s crucial role in reducing food spoilage and improving Africa’s food supply chain resilience.

This is a time of change and uncertainties for the cold chain, and GCCA will continue helping our members in Africa navigate a successful course that overcomes the challenges and capitalises on the opportunities, for 2025 and beyond.