The ARCH Cold Chain Solutions Fund has opened the doors to its flagship cold storage facility in Tatu City Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Nairobi, Kenya. The facility consists of a state-of-the-art, temperature-controlled facility as well as a fleet of vehicles for the storage and distribution of perishable food products and pharmaceuticals.

The facility is the first of its kind in Africa taking into consideration the flexibility of its services, the product ranges it can accommodate, and the temperature ranges on which it can operate.

The cold storage facility is expected to contribute to the reduction of food waste and enhance safety standards in food distribution in East Africa. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) estimates that around 37% of food produced in Sub-Saharan Africa is lost at various points along the value chain.

The ARCH Cold Chain Solutions Fund received funding from a range of financial institutions, including the European Investment Bank (EIB), which contributed $15 million of the total funding of $81 million raised.