Rwanda Targets Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) Across the Cooling Sector

As Rwanda’s economy grows, so does demand for cooling across agriculture, health services, and energy systems. Refrigeration is essential for preserving food, safeguarding vaccines and medicines, and supporting modern value chains. Yet this growing demand also brings a challenge: rising emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), highly potent climate pollutants with a global warming potential thousands of times greater than CO₂. 

Recognizing this risk early, Rwanda is taking proactive steps to ensure that the expansion of cooling does not undermine its climate and development goals. With support from partners, the country is investing in the institutional, technical, and human capacity needed to transition to sustainable, low-emissions cooling before inefficient systems become locked in.

Rwanda's history of leadership in addressing HFCs

Rwanda has been a long-standing partner of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, with a strong track record on action to reduce hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). As host of the 2016 negotiations that delivered the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, Rwanda played a central role in securing global agreement to phase down these potent greenhouse gases used in cooling. Since then, the country has continued to work with the CCAC to advance energy-efficient, climate-friendly cooling through policy reform and practical implementation, positioning Rwanda as a leader on HFC management in the region. 

Modernizing Rwanda’s cooling systems

Today, much of Rwanda’s cooling infrastructure remains inefficient and outdated. Old refrigerators alone waste an estimated US $2.7 million in electricity each year, while weak cold-chain systems contribute to roughly 40 percent of food being lost or wasted nationally. These losses translate into significant environmental and economic costs, accounting for an estimated 21 percent of land use, 16 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, and 12 percent of GDP. In the health sector, inadequate cooling threatens the safety of vaccines and medicines, reflecting global spoilage rates of 25–50 percent in poorly functioning cold chains.

At the same time, Rwanda faces structural barriers to change. Comprehensive national data on HFC use is limited, technical expertise on clean alternatives is scarce, and responsibilities across ministries and agencies are often fragmented.

To confront these challenges, the project works with the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA),  Rwanda Polytechnic (RP), and the Centro Studi Galileo SRL to adopt a capacity-building and technical assistance model to equip institutions with the skills and tools needed to assess, model, and monitor HFC emissions—while promoting energy-efficient, clean cooling technologies.

A key component is the certification of personnel handling fluorinated refrigerant gases. Centro Studi Galileo developed an eight-day training program providing a complete pathway for technicians to obtain international qualifications. These competencies are then transferred to RP through training-of-trainers modules embedded in national technician courses.

Several important milestones have already been achieved:

• delivery of technical workshops on HFC emissions assessment and sustainable cooling,

• development of an organizational structure clarifying ministry roles,

• integration of gender considerations into capacity-building activities.

Follow-up actions include REMA and the CCAC reviewing the gender analysis for the cooling sector and the organizational structure document drafted during the June 2025 workshop. Work is also underway to analyze global financial models for sustainable cooling, with the goal of identifying best practices, challenges, opportunities, and actionable recommendations tailored to Rwanda. 

In parallel, Centro Studi Galileo is revising training materials and adapting technician courses to the Rwandan context. These will be rolled out next year alongside a pilot on the safe removal and management of refrigerant gases from old refrigerators.

Expanding climate-smart cooling across Rwanda and the region

The project’s future direction will focus on scaling up sustainable cooling in Rwanda: expanding certified technician training, improving safe management of obsolete refrigerant gases, and developing circular economy models with incentives and innovative financing.

By drawing on global best practices and adapting them to Rwanda’s context, the project aims to strengthen the country’s position as a regional hub for sustainable refrigeration. Achieving this vision will require strong leadership and consensus led by REMA, ultimately benefiting cold chains and sustainable cooling efforts across East Africa.