NIGERIA – IFC in partnership with Kobo360, an African digital logistics platform, have selected eleven global innovators to take part in the recently launched TechEmerge Temperature-Controlled Logistics Nigeria program.
Under the program, the selected participant will partner with 15 leading Nigerian companies, to pilot cost-effective and climate-smart technologies to strengthen the country’s temperature-controlled logistics supply chain.
The sustainable cooling innovation program is funded by the UK Government’s International Climate Finance and offers a total pool of US$1 million in grant funding to support field-testing over the next 12-18 months.
The program also provides advisory support to help innovators mitigate financial and operational risks, reduce adoption risks for local firms, and facilitate market-entry and tech transfer.
“Kobo360’s business mission is driven by ingenuity and innovation, and we are proud to be partnering with these new TechEmerge participants to prove that temperature-controlled logistics can be affordable, energy-efficient and environmentally friendly too, while growing vital sectors of the Nigerian economy and opening up new business opportunities across Africa,” said Ike Abiakam, Kobo360’s Founding Partner and Head of Value-Added Services.
“Finding, scaling and commercializing sustainable cooling – whether for agricultural products or vaccines – is vital to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
Ben Llewellyn Jones – British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Nigeria
The 11 innovators, which includes four Nigerian companies, were competitively selected by IFC, Kobo360, and TechEmerge’s independent advisory panel of cooling experts.
The 15 local partners come from the agriculture, food and beverage, retail, refrigeration, engineering, and logistics sectors.
“Temperature-controlled logistics are vital for delivering perishable goods to markets and protecting sensitive vaccines and other pharmaceuticals.
However, conventional technologies are often expensive, inefficient, and emit high amounts of greenhouse gas emissions,” said Kevin Njiraini, IFC’s Regional Director for Southern Africa and Nigeria.
He added that, “By supporting innovative private sector pilots, we can help pave the way for climate-smart cooling systems to be more accessible to the logistics sector in Nigeria and the region more broadly.”
The competitively selected innovators are Tunasha, Eja-Ice, Gricd, and Mandilas Group from Nigeria, Enersion from Canada, Chill Technologies from the UK, Koolboks from France, and Ecozen Solutions, Pluss Advanced Technologies, Sonnenschein Engineering & Infra, and Thermal Energy Service Solutions from India.
The Nigerian companies partnering with the innovators are Fan Milk, L&Z Integrated Farms, Agvest, Alyx, Amo Farm, Anthorad Nigeria, Cam Dairy Foods, Food Concepts, Integrated Motors Industries, Iron Products Industries, JustFood, Kennie O Cold Chain Logistics, Tak Logistics, KSR Power & Engineering, and Lange and Grant Commodities.
“Finding, scaling and commercializing sustainable cooling – whether for agricultural products or vaccines – is vital to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“As a signatory to the Montreal Protocol and the Kigali Amendment, the UK Government is keen to support Nigeria to adopt solutions that reduce emissions and waste, provide business opportunities and lead to significant cost-savings for end users,” said Ben Llewellyn-Jones, British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Nigeria.
If the pilots are successful, the local companies and innovators may decide to enter into commercial contracts.
IFC also evaluates financing needs and may invest in companies to scale game-changing innovations.
