U-3ARC Constitutive General Assembly

The first General Assembly of the newly founded Pan-African Union of Associations of African Actors in Refrigeration and air-Conditioning (U-3ARC) took place on 24 September 2020, seen by many as the beginning of a new chapter in the history of refrigeration.

Taking inspiration from the European model of AREA (European association of refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump) and also thanks to its support, Madi Sakandé, the first president of U-3ARC and international expert trainer for Centro Studi Galileo, achieved the  goal of bringing together 30 national associations, all coming from different African countries. This ambitious project is set to guarantee the growth of the acr sector in the continent with positive consequences both health and living standards.

The General Assembly took place over two days and involved both in-person and on-line participation, following international regulations and safeguarding everyone’s health, in light of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Several HVAC/R experts from around the world attended along with key industry figures including: Marco Buoni, AREA president; Ayman Eltalouny and Yamar Guissé of UNEP; Ole Nielsen of UNIDO; Stephen Gill, World Refrigeration Day founder and members from the Ministries of Burkina Faso Government - Mr Sakandé’s home country and the first nation to actively join the project.

 Participants had a rare opportunity to meet the President of Burkina Faso His Excellency Mr. Roch Marc Christian Kaboré who was happy to hear of the existence of the association and pledged his to the activities of the association. Delegates also met the minister of African integration and Burkinabe abroad Mr Robert Tiendrebeogo.