www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I June 2023 17
Business
SADC RAC ASSOCIATION MAKES HEADWAY
By Eamonn Ryan
Hennie Basson , past president of SARACCA , has been nominated to represent SARACCA ’ s involvement in the establishment of an SADC RAC Association ( Southern African Development Community Refrigeration & Air-conditioning Association ) project to establish a viable regional grouping of each of the national committees . He is currently the Secretary General of SADC RAC Association , and provided RACA Journal the following background and progress to date .
SARACCA ’ s SADC RAC Association involvement project is an initiative that aims to address the lack of a cold chain infrastructure in Southern African countries . On a continentwide basis , U-3ARC , a union of associations of African actors in refrigeration and air-conditioning , has been established . Basson , together with current director Barney Richardson , attended a 2022 conference in Morocco . What they found was that while this Association claimed to represent all 54 African countries , in fact only a handful had paid membership fees while the predominance of French and Arabic languages meant the organisation would be too cumbersome if it ever truly got off the ground .
“ The SADC RAC Association was created due to the huge language barrier and the large structure of the Union of Associations of African Actors in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning ( U3-Arc ) based in West Africa , which made it difficult for the Southern African region to participate in its activities ,” says Basson .
SARACCA in cooperation with other countries seeks to establish a cold chain in Southern African countries to prevent the loss of fresh produce , which is estimated to be about 70 % of produce due to the lack of that cold chain . The establishment of a cold chain infrastructure will create jobs and stimulate economic growth . This will be achieved by setting up the infrastructure and refrigeration businesses , as well as training people to operate and maintain the refrigeration systems . The project will cover the whole cold chain process , from farm level to distribution centres and exports at harbours .
“ SARACCA in cooporation with SADC RAC Association aims to get local associations to get organised to carry out the project . The local associations will train people and provide investment in setting up the infrastructure . The project is not only focused on refrigeration but also on energy production , particularly on how to utilise solar power for refrigeration .
All photos by SADC RAC Association
“ To establish credibility and garner support , SADC RAC Association embarked on an initiative with A-Gas to collect redundant refrigerants , particularly the oldest CFCs that have been recovered , which will be sent for destruction . A pilot project in Kenya is in process to ensure that if a successful model is developed it can be implemented in other countries and Namibia and Swaziland are next in line . The initiative involves recovering cylinders and establishing recovery plants for companies to be responsible for their own refrigeration waste .
The primary milestone to date has been the hosting of an SADC conference on 15 March in Windhoek , Namibia . “ The Minister of Industrialisation and Trade , Ho Lucia Iipumbu was there , so it was at a ministerial level . Customs was also there to discuss seizures and related matters . Namibia is quite organised compared to other countries , and in some cases , they are stricter on reducing CO 2 emissions than South Africa . They aim to phase out R22 by 2030 , long before other developing countries .
“ We have regular meetings to plan and suggest strategies to achieve our objectives . We want to train the trainers , and we
Hennie Basson recieves a certificate from the Minister Hon Lucia Iipumbu for presenting at the conference in Windhoek .
www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I June 2023 17