Sub-Saharan Africa sees nearly 40% of food perish before it reaches a consumer. The cold chain plays a critcal role in reducing food waster, improving public health, and enabling developing countries to participate in international trade as both producers and consumers. In collaboration with the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) and other stakeholders, the International Trade Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce launched a Cold Chain Assessment Initiative in Kenya in 2015.
This collaboration led to the East Africa Cold Chain Assessment Symposium in October 2015, the first of its kind in the region. The Symposium brought together approximately 100 government and private sector leaders engaged in cold chain activities across the East African region. See presentations from the event.
As part of the collaboration, GCCA conducted a corresponding assessment of the cold chain infrastructure in Kenya, the largest economy in the region. The industry-led report offers several recommendations that support the development of cold chain drivers in Kenya and could be applied to other developing countries in the region.
