EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
The KHOLD Bayhead facility.
He emphasised the sector’ s shift from being South Africa-centric to embracing a more pan-African approach, stressing the importance of unity and government collaboration to tackle infrastructure and regulatory bottlenecks.
LEADERSHIP FROM THE TOP: GCCA PRESIDENT HIGHLIGHTS GLOBAL VISION
Unable to attend in person due to travel conflicts, Sara Stickler, GCCA’ s recently appointed president and CEO, delivered a video address in which she underlined the global importance of the cold chain and
Africa’ s central role in shaping its future.
“ Africa is uniquely positioned to leverage emerging technologies like AI. From border management to temperature control, the opportunities are immense. But this progress must be backed by data, standards and investment,” Stickler said.
She introduced GCCA’ s plans to expand data benchmarking, launch a centre of excellence for temperature-controlled supply chains, and strengthen the global committee model to ensure industry leaders are driving innovation and advocacy across regions.
THE CALL FOR COLLECTIVE ACTION WITH COLLABORATION OVER COMPETITION
Adam Thocher, GCCA’ s senior vicepresident of global programmes and insights challenged attendees to move beyond siloed improvements:“ We know why the cold chain matters. Now, the question is: how do we work together to make it work better?” he asked.
He highlighted persistent inefficiencies in the sector – like supply chain bottlenecks, fragmented data and unco-ordinated infrastructure investments – and offered collaboration as the solution. By pooling insights, sharing data and standardising systems across borders, Thocher argued, Africa’ s cold chain industry could unlock its full potential.
He urged the audience to stop viewing technology as a competitive advantage, and instead treat it as shared infrastructure that strengthens the entire value chain.
“ Food security in Africa will not be solved by individual company gains. It will be solved when competitors pool their knowledge, standards cross borders, and data becomes an industry resource,” Thocher said.
AI took centre stage at the conference, with speakers outlining its transformative power across cold chain logistics – from predictive maintenance and demand forecasting to IoT integration and blockchain traceability.
Thocher shared examples like the classic‘ beer game’, a supply chain
The audience at the conference.
simulation taught in business schools for decades, showing how AI can finally render such outdated models obsolete by accurately forecasting demand and improving regional flows. He emphasised how solar and hybrid energy systems – deployed through consortium models – could finally make rural cold chain infrastructure viable and sustainable.
A WAKE-UP CALL AND A RALLYING CRY
Renier du Preez, CEO of Digistics and chair of the Africa Advisory Council, took the stage with a rallying call to the industry.“ Yes, we can!” he led the room in chanting. He acknowledged the tough operating environment cold chain professionals face but also emphasised the tremendous opportunities ahead as
14 www. coldlinkafrica. co. za COLD LINK AFRICA • October 2025