Cold Solutions Rwanda Secures Up to $18M for New Cold-Chain Facility

Suki Muia (ARCH investment director) and Laurène Aigrain (AGG managing director)

Cold Solutions Rwanda has closed an $18 million senior debt facility from the Cygnum Capital-managed Africa Go Green Fund (AGG).

The capital will finance the construction and working capital of a greenfield temperature-controlled storage facility in the Kigali Prime Economic Zone.

Launching with an initial capacity of 4,000 pallets and engineered to scale to 8,000 pallets, the hub integrates directly with ARCH Cold Chain Solutions' existing local operations, which include a packhouse and avocado processing lines.

How much funding has Cold Solutions Rwanda secured?

Cold Solutions Rwanda has reached financial close on a senior debt facility of up to $18 million from the Africa Go Green Fund (AGG), managed by Cygnum Capital.

The financing will support construction costs and working capital for a new cold-storage facility in the Kigali Prime Economic Zone, strengthening Rwanda’s temperature-controlled logistics infrastructure.

The facility will initially provide capacity for 4,000 pallets, with scope to expand to 8,000 pallets as demand grows.

Cold Solutions Rwanda is the Rwandan operating platform of the ARCH Cold Chain Solutions East Africa Fund, which provides temperature-controlled storage, processing, and logistics services across the region.

The financing comes as Rwanda’s agriculture and food-processing sectors expand, increasing the need for infrastructure capable of preserving perishable products between production and final distribution.

What will Cold Solutions Rwanda use the $18 million facility for?

The debt facility will finance two primary areas:

• Construction: Development of a new cold-storage facility in the Kigali Prime Economic Zone.

• Working capital: Funding operational requirements associated with the expansion of Cold Solutions Rwanda’s cold-chain activities.

• Cold-storage capacity: The new facility will initially accommodate 4,000 pallets, with potential expansion to 8,000 pallets.

• Integrated logistics: The project will combine storage with packhouse, handling, and refrigerated logistics services.

This integrated model is designed to connect multiple stages of the agricultural supply chain, from handling and processing to storage and distribution.

Cold Solutions Rwanda’s planned cold-chain capacity

Project element	Planned capacity / role
Initial cold-storage capacity	4,000 pallets
Potential expanded capacity	8,000 pallets
Location	Kigali Prime Economic Zone, Rwanda
Financing	Up to $18 million senior debt
Financing provider	Africa Go Green Fund (AGG)
Fund manager	Cygnum Capital
Operating platform	Cold Solutions Rwanda
Parent investment platform	ARCH Cold Chain Solutions East Africa Fund

Why does Rwanda need more cold-chain infrastructure?

Rwanda’s expanding agricultural and food-processing sectors are increasing demand for modern cold-storage and refrigerated transport infrastructure.

Limited cold-storage and refrigerated transport capacity can contribute to post-harvest losses, while reducing the shelf life and marketability of perishable products. For producers and exporters, insufficient temperature-controlled infrastructure can also make it more difficult to maintain product quality between the farm and the final market.

Cold Solutions Rwanda is addressing this infrastructure gap by combining cold storage, packhouse operations, handling, and refrigerated logistics within an integrated platform.

The objective is to give farmers, processors, and exporters greater access to temperature-controlled infrastructure while supporting the movement of produce from the farm gate through to distribution.

How will the new facility complement Cold Solutions Rwanda’s existing operations?

Cold Solutions Rwanda already operates a temperature-controlled packhouse in the Kigali Prime Economic Zone, according to ARCH.

The existing operation also includes an avocado processing line, which supports Rwanda-based growers in meeting the quality and shelf-life requirements of export markets.

The new greenfield cold-storage facility is intended to complement this existing infrastructure by adding additional temperature-controlled storage capacity.

According to Suki Muia, investment director at ARCH, the combination of the existing packhouse and new facility will give farmers, processors, and exporters greater cold-chain capacity to move produce from the farm gate to its final destination.

ARCH has also developed a cold-chain facility in Tatu City, Kenya, which Muia cited as a model that has validated the company's approach to cold-chain infrastructure.

What does the AGG investment mean for Rwanda’s food and agriculture sectors?

For Africa Go Green Fund, the investment is positioned around both infrastructure development and climate-related outcomes.

Laurène Aigrain, managing director at AGG, said the investment reflects the fund’s focus on infrastructure that addresses economic bottlenecks while delivering measurable climate benefits.

The project is expected to support several areas of Rwanda’s agricultural economy:

• Reduced product losses through improved temperature-controlled storage.

• Longer shelf life for perishable agricultural products.

• Improved supply-chain efficiency through integrated storage and logistics.

• Greater export readiness for agricultural producers and processors.

• Additional infrastructure capacity for Rwanda’s growing food-processing sector.

• Private-sector growth supported by modern logistics infrastructure.

The investment therefore connects cold-chain infrastructure with broader food-system and economic objectives, particularly as Rwanda seeks to increase value-added agricultural production and improve access to regional and international markets.

What did ARCH say about the $18 million financing?

Suki Muia, investment director at ARCH, described the financial close as a significant milestone for Cold Solutions Rwanda and Rwanda’s cold-chain infrastructure.

Muia highlighted the role of the new facility alongside the company’s existing packhouse and avocado processing operations, saying the additional capacity will support farmers, processors, and exporters seeking to move produce reliably from production through to its final destination.

ARCH’s existing facility in Tatu City, Kenya, was also cited as an example of the cold-chain model that Cold Solutions Rwanda is expanding into Rwanda.

What did Africa Go Green Fund say about the investment?

Laurène Aigrain, managing director at AGG, said the investment is intended to address infrastructure constraints while generating climate and development benefits.

Aigrain pointed to the gap between Rwanda’s growing agricultural and food-processing activity and the availability of modern cold-chain infrastructure.

The AGG financing will therefore support infrastructure designed to help businesses expand, reduce product losses, and improve supply-chain efficiency, while contributing to more resilient food systems.

What happens next for Cold Solutions Rwanda?

With financial close completed, the up to $18 million senior debt facility will support construction and working capital for Cold Solutions Rwanda’s new facility in the Kigali Prime Economic Zone.

The project will begin with 4,000 pallets of cold-storage capacity, with the ability to scale to 8,000 pallets.

Combined with Cold Solutions Rwanda’s existing temperature-controlled packhouse and avocado processing operations, the new facility is designed to create a more integrated cold-chain platform serving Rwanda’s farmers, processors, exporters, and food businesses.

For Rwanda’s agricultural supply chain, the project represents an expansion of physical infrastructure connecting production, processing, storage, and distribution within a single cold-chain ecosystem.