Lagos, Nigeria, July 7, 2021 — Eleven global innovators have been selected to partner with 15 leading Nigerian companies to pilot cost-effective, climate-smart technologies to strengthen the country's temperature-controlled logistics supply chain, as part of IFC's award-winning TechEmerge program in partnership with African digital logistics platform Kobo360.
The Sustainable Cooling Innovation program in Nigeria is funded by the UK Government's International Climate Finance and offers a total pool of $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.
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.
"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.
"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. "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."
"As we approach COP26, I am really glad to see these innovative solutions receiving support from the UK-funded Sustainable Cooling Innovation Program," said Ben Llewellyn-Jones, British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Nigeria. "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."
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.
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.
TechEmerge has a strong track record of matching innovators across the world with leading companies and organizations in emerging markets to pilot game-changing solutions, build commercial relationships, de-risk investment, and accelerate the adoption of innovation where it is needed most.
Its programs have helped to raise $329 million dollars in financing and investment, built commercial relationships, supported private sector growth in key sectors, and scaled disruptive solutions that are expected to benefit millions of people each year while addressing some of the world's most pressing development challenges.
About IFC
IFC—a member of the World Bank Group—is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2020, we invested $22 billion in private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.
About UK Government
As COP26 Presidency, the UK is committed to working with all countries and joining forces with civil society, companies and people on the frontline of climate action to inspire ambition ahead of COP26. The UK Prime Minister has committed to double the UK International Climate Finance to at least £11.6 billion between 2021/22 and 2025/26. The UK is playing an important role in accelerating clean energy innovation through its leadership of Mission Innovation and by acting as Chair of its Steering Committee, it pledged to double its spending on clean energy innovation to £400m by 2020/2021.
About Kobo360
Kobo360 is a digital logistics platform that aggregates end-to-end haulage operations to help cargo owners, truck owners and drivers, and cargo recipients to achieve an efficient supply chain framework. Developing an all-in-one logistics ecosystem, Kobo360 leverages data and technology to reduce logistic frictions. Kobo360 enables unprecedented efficiency and cost reduction in the supply chain, providing 360-visibility while delivering products of all sizes safely, on time and in full. The Kobo360 mission is to build the Global Logistics Operating System that will power trade and commerce across Africa and emerging markets. With operations in Nigeria, Togo, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and Cote d'Ivoire, Kobo360 is one of the fastest-growing tech start-ups out of Africa. For more information, visit www.kobo360.com
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