“Make sustainable refrigeration a priority”: Honorable Princess Yabré Juliette Kongo’s appeal to heads of state

From Kigali, U-3ARC’s Goodwill Ambassador addressed an appeal to heads of state: place sustainable refrigeration at the heart of Africa’s development policies. A simple, concrete message driven by one conviction: behind every cold chain, there are lives.

Kigali, Rwanda, October 2026.

A voice for those who produce

At the podium of the 6th U-3ARC General Assembly, Honorable Princess Yabré Juliette Kongo does not begin with equipment. She begins with people.

“Behind the cold chain, there is a woman producer’s work, a herder’s hope, a family’s income.” When a harvest spoils before reaching the market, part of their effort is lost. Preserving food, she says, means giving more value to what our land and hands produce, better connecting our countryside to markets, and supporting the ambition of food sovereignty.

Young people, and young women in particular

She, then, turns to young people, those waiting to learn a trade, start a business and live decently from their work. Installing, maintaining and repairing refrigeration equipment can open concrete prospects for them, provided training grows and access to jobs is supported. She insists: young women must be able to take their full place, “right up to technical and leadership roles”.

Five requests to heads of state

Speaking directly to Their Excellencies, she makes precise requests:

• Include the cold chain in agricultural and industrial strategies, with identified resources and tracked results.
• Bring preservation closer to producers: support equipment close to production areas, with access to reliable energy.
• Train and support: strengthen vocational training, certification and support for young entrepreneurs, working with trade associations, training centres and businesses.
• Make it easier to finance efficient equipment.
• Examine the tax and customs barriers that make it more expensive.

All of this, she adds, in service of refrigeration that is energy-efficient, environmentally friendly and safe, for professionals and populations alike.

A question for every investment

One passage captures the spirit of the appeal: “With every investment, let us ask this question: what new opportunity are we offering to a farming family, to a young technician, to an entrepreneur just starting out?” She invites states to set public deadlines for their commitments and to review their delivery regularly.

In Kigali, a meeting with the International Institute of Refrigeration

On the sidelines of MOP38, the Princess met Yosr Allouche, Director-General of the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIF-IIR). Exchanges reflects the Union’s will to build alliances so the continent’s voice is heard.

Carrying the Kigali appeal forward

She closed by hoping that “the Kigali appeal finds its continuation in decisions, budgets and achievements whose effects our populations can measure”. The Union takes that as its next step: “Our youth deserve to see their aspirations become real possibilities.”