Project Enables Access to ‘High-Quality’ Vaccines with R600a Refrigerators in Burkina Faso

The Ozone- and Climate-Friendly Cooling in West and Central Africa project (Refroidissement respectueux de l’ozone et du climat en Afrique de l’Ouest et Centrale, or “ROCA”) has provided the West African country of Burkina Faso with 10 isobutane (R600a) refrigerators for vaccines and four propane (R290) training benches through the country’s Ministry of the Environment.

The ROCA project is part of GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) and funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development to achieve its aims with the use of energy-efficient green cooling technologies.

Dr. Bouraima Kouanda, the Secretary General of the Burkinabè Ministry of the Environment, presented the refrigerators, training benches and other donated items ‒ totaling 85 million Central African francs (US$140,000) ‒ to the Ministries of Health and Education on March 30 in the capital of Ouagadougou. The event took place in the presence of the ROCA project coordinator, the European Union, the secretaries general of the beneficiary ministries and other guests.

The donated refrigerators operate with R600a (isobutane) refrigerant, GIZ said in response to an inquiry.

“The refrigerators will enable the populations of the East and South-West communities to have equitable access to high-quality vaccines in the health and social promotion centers,” said Silem Sassi, European Union Representative and Social Development Team Lead, in a press release.

The other donated items ‒ solar panels, welding kits, Maxigas cartridges and oxygen cartridges ‒ will be used with the R290 training benches for the training of refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) technicians to support the use of green refrigeration technology in the country.

“The teaching benches will strengthen the technical skills of learners in the Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso training centers in the safe handling of propane,” Sassi said.

As a representative of the beneficiaries, Dr Estelle Dabiré, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Health, received the donations and expressed thanks to the donors.

Details of the donations and the presentation ceremony are described on the website of the Green Cooling Initiative (GCI), a GIZ-run global initiative that promotes sustainable cooling globally. “Together we can protect the ozone layer with the increased use and mastery of green cooling and air-conditioning technologies,” GCI said.

“The teaching benches will strengthen the technical skills of learners in the Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso training centers in the safe handling of propane.”

Silem Sassi, European Union Representative and Social Development Team Lead