Inspired Evolution, through its Evolution III Fund, has committed $20 million to support the expansion of Cold Solutions East Africa Holdings (CSEAHL), a leading platform for temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics across East Africa.
CSEAHL is an investment vehicle established by the ARCH Cold Chain Solutions East Africa Fund, which is managed by ARCH Emerging Markets Partners. The fund’s controlling shareholder is African Rainbow Capital, operating through its subsidiary ARC Guernsey.
This strategic investment aims to bolster the region’s cold-chain ecosystem, which is critical for reducing food waste, improving food security, and enhancing climate resilience.
Anthony Ngugi, Investment Director at Inspired Evolution, emphasized the alignment of the transaction with the firm’s core investment themes:
It’s been a pleasure to work on this transaction, which aligns with our investment theme of resource efficiency. It’s also highly impactful – contributing directly to improved food security in East Africa by strengthening the region’s cold-chain ecosystem.
Wayne Keast, Managing Partner at Inspired Evolution, highlighted the broader environmental and economic benefits:
Cold Solutions East Africa reflects the type of climate-resilient, scalable platform that embodies Inspired Evolution’s investment philosophy. By driving energy efficiency and sustainability into regional supply chains, this initiative tackles food waste at scale while reinforcing resilience in the face of climate change.
From ARCH’s perspective, the partnership marks a significant milestone in the development of cold chain infrastructure across the region. Suki Muia, Investment Director at ARCH, stated:
We are excited to welcome Inspired Evolution to the cold chain strategy and look forward to collaboratively rolling out and growing the cold chain network in East Africa. The $20 million additional commitment to the fund by Inspired Evolution will facilitate the roll out of the remaining four facilities in Kampala, Kigali, Dar es Salaam, and Mombasa, complementing the flagship Tatu City facility that is already operational.
Marlene Jennings, CEO of ARCH, underscored the strategic importance of the initiative:
This partnership with Inspired Evolution underscores the importance of mobilising climate-smart capital into critical infrastructure for Africa’s food systems. Cold Solutions East Africa is not only addressing post-harvest losses but also enabling farmers, businesses, and consumers to access reliable and efficient cold storage. We look forward to working closely with Inspired Evolution to accelerate the rollout of facilities that will have a lasting impact on regional trade and food security.
