Almost 500 people participated in events to celebrate the first World Refrigeration Day (WRefD19) or Journée Mondiale du Froid in Burkina Faso.
Events included, Training ,Technical talks, Exhibitions, Stand visits, Educational animations, and Video presentations
Organisation for this day was initiated by World Refrigeration Day official sponsors, Madi Sakande of NEW COLD COMPANY (NCS), together with l’Association des Professionnels et Acteurs du Froid et de la Climatisation (APFC) , and l’Association des Ingénieurs et Techniciens Frigoristes du Burkina Faso (AITFB).
WRefD19 raised interest from neighbouring countries with delegations from Côte d’Ivoire, Niger and the Democratic Republic of Congo
The official opening ceremony was presided over by Mr SANOU Stéphane, Secretary General of the Government and the Council of Ministers. The ceremony was marked by the following :
– SAKANDE Madi, Promoter of NCS;
– KABORE Amidou, President of AITFB;
– KOUABLAN Omer Affian, President of the National Union of Refrigeration Professional Technicians of Côte d’Ivoire;
– KONE Moussa, President of the National Chamber of Agriculture (NAC) and Sponsor of the JMF
– SANOU Stéphane, patron of the ceremony representing the Minister of Energy, Dr Bachir Ismael MAIGA.
One of the highlights of this WRefD was the organization of a refrigeration discussion panel featuring a cross section of stakeholders in the region, including:
– The public sector: the Ministry of Energy through the National Agency for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ANEREE) and the Directorate General of Energy Efficiency (DGEE), The Ministry of Youth and Youth Entrepreneurship Promotion (MJPEJ),the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Green Economy (MECCEV) represented by the National Ozone Office,
– Delegations of refrigeration associations from Côte d’Ivoire, Niger and DRC
– The National Chamber of Agriculture and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry
– Joseph KI-ZERBO University in Ouagadougou, Institut 2iE, NEW COLD SYSTEM, APFC, AITFB
– Refrigeration business leaders and/or their representatives
– Refrigeration engineers
– Students and learners.
At the end of the exchanges, the panel proposed recommendations to serve as a compass for the continuation of the dynamics resulting from this WRefD. These recommendations were read at the closing ceremony of the JMF chaired by Mr NAGOLO Firmin, Mission Officer, representing the Minister of Energy, and Dr. Bachir Ismael OuEDRAOGO.
A special mention is made to Mr Joachim VOKOUMA for his commitment to make this WRefD a success.
The organisers extend their sincere thanks to the Minister of Energy, the Secretary General of the Government, His Excellency the Italian Ambassador to Burkina Faso, the President of the National Chamber of Agriculture and all those involved in making World Refrigeration Day in Burkina Faso the huge success is was. It will be the launch pad to several great initiatives in the region.