The IFC has partnered with the UK government and digital logistics platform Kobo360 in a cohort called TechEmerg, to find innovators for Nigeria’s Sustainable Cooling Innovation program. The programme is designed to help transform Nigeria’s temperature controlled logistics network.
The Sustainable Cooling Innovation program in Nigeria is funded by the UK government. It offers a total pool of $1m in grant funding to support field-testing over the next 12-18 months. The programme will see international companies partnered with 15 Nigerian companies to pilot “climate-smart” (i.e. less reliant on fossil fuels and more efficient) technologies to improve the cold chain in Nigeria.
Kobo360 is helping select innovative Nigerian companies. These include Tunasha, Eja-Ice, Gricd, and Mandilas Group. International partners include Enersion (Canada), Chill Technologies (UK), Koolboks (France), Ecozen Solutions, Pluss Advanced Technologies, Sonnenschein Engineering & Infra, and Thermal Energy Service Solutions (India).
Nigerian partners for the cold chain innovators include Fan Milk (Danone), 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.
Nigeria’s cold chain logistics network is underdeveloped, fragmented and expensive. A major issue is the lack of cold chain infrastructure and, because of the unreliability of the power supply, the cost of refrigeration where diesel generators are used (which can be as much as 50% of the time).
Ultimately, the pilot programme aims to foster commercial relations between innovators, suppliers and users of cold chain logistics infrastructure. Nigeria loses N3.7tn ($9bn) of products annually due to improper storage and logistics, according to estimates from the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT). It estimates that 15m tonnes of perishable goods are wasted each year. The implications for curbing food price inflation, reducing poverty and improving health outcomes in what is still a market where the median age is 18.1 and there are a large number of infants and children.
