GCCA is the global advocate of temperature-controlled logistics. The GCCA Africa Conference 2025 in Durban saw 120 cold chain leaders from across the African continent gather to examine the most pressing industry opportunities and challenges.

In his address to the conference, the Minister said: “The cold chain is … the artery through which Africa’s food system flows. Without it, farmers lose, consumers suffer, and economies falter. With it, we can feed more people, create more jobs, and compete more confidently on the world stage.”

Minister Steenhuisen also emphasised the importance of growing the cold chain in rural Africa: “When government, agribusiness, and logistics companies collaborate to expand cold chain networks into rural areas, the effect is transformative. It means fewer losses. It means new jobs in packing houses, trucking, and storage facilities. It means rural producers are not trapped in subsistence but are linked into regional and global markets. This is not charity. This is smart economics. Rural cold chain access is rural development in action.”

Highlighting the importance of collaboration to transforming Africa’s cold chain, the Minister said: “Government cannot deliver cold chains without the private sector. Industry cannot thrive without enabling policy. Farmers cannot succeed without infrastructure.”

GCCA Director for Africa Paul Matthew welcomed the Minister’s declarations. He said: “We thank the Minister for his presence and his thoughtful consideration of the role that cold chain businesses play in the success of the South African food and farming industries. A year ago, GCCA Africa laid down our ‘Call to Action for African Cold Chain’; the Minister’s words today show the continuing impact of this advocacy.

“We know how much further there is to go in building the temperature-controlled logistics infrastructure that will help meet the economic potential of South Africa and of the African continent. We look forward to working closely with the Minister and across government to deliver the cold chain investment that will transform food resilience across the region.”

The GCCA Africa Conference 2025 explored a range of pressing topics in a packed two-day programme. Themes explored included how smart technologies can transform food and pharmaceuticals logistics;  emerging issues in trade and investment; and energy resilience in temperature-controlled logistics.

You can read the Minister’s full address to the GCCA Africa Conference here:  www.gcca.org/news-announcements/south-african-minister-of-agriculture-speech-at-the-2025-gcca-cold-chain-africa-conference/