Nairobi. Aisha used to lose nearly half of her tomatoes within three days. Heat, rough handling, and slow market demand turned fresh produce into waste.
Today, she pays a small weekly fee for space in a solar-powered cold room just two kilometres from her market in Vihiga County. The same tomatoes now last up to three weeks.
“Before the cold room, I would wake up worried that half my tomatoes would rot before I found a buyer,” she said. “Now I can keep them for weeks, and that means I decide when to sell, not the heat.”
Her experience reflects a wider shift in how farmers and traders across Africa are handling perishable goods. Distributed, renewable-powered cold storage is transforming refrigeration from a luxury into basic infrastructure, stabilising food systems and making agricultural value chains investable.
“The fee is small, but the peace of mind is big,” Aisha said. “Now every crate feels like it counts.”
Tackling post-harvest loss
Post-harvest loss continues to shape the economics of African agriculture. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that up to 40 percent of some fresh crops never make it from field to plate, with fruit and vegetables hit hardest.
The African Post-Harvest Losses Information System puts the figure between 10 and 12 percent, while the World Bank estimates that up to 40 percent of horticultural produce never reaches the market.
Empower Africa calculates that only about 5 per cent of fresh produce currently passes through a cold chain, contributing to losses of 30–50 percent.
Losses fall sharply when refrigeration enters the chain. Solar walk-in cold rooms are prefabricated, insulated units fitted with panels and hybrid power backups.
Operators offer booking systems, SMS receipts, and remote monitoring to ensure consistent uptime. Business models vary, with some kiosks renting space per crate or per day.
“For me, paying per crate makes sense,” Aisha explained. “Some weeks I have few baskets, other weeks more. I only pay for what I use. If I sell fast, I don’t pay. If I need more time, I add a small fee. That choice is everything for a small farmer like me.”
Innovation and investment
In Kenya, SokoFresh runs solar-powered cold storage on a service basis for more than 7,000 farmers. In Nigeria, Baridi applies the same approach to the meat trade, leasing space to butcheries.
Mid-sized players are offering subscription lockers for cooperatives and deploying refrigerated trucks for aggregation. Larger facilities serve exporters and processors with bonded warehouses and logistics services.
“Cold rooms are revenue-generating assets with measurable climate benefits. That combination is why funds like ours are stepping in,” said Simon Enyadong, regional investment lead at ColdBox, the start-up renting cold storage in Aisha’s area.
Investment is flowing into the sector. Local operators are raising capital to expand product lines, while asset managers and climate funds are structuring debt to finance large-scale facilities.
One notable example is Koolboks, a Nigeria- and France-based company that raised $11 million in Series A funding in September 2025.
Since its founding in 2018, the start-up has deployed more than 10,000 solar-powered freezers in 25 countries, offering pay-as-you-go financing and IoT monitoring for retailers and clinics.
“The raise allows us to deepen our reach, build locally, and put power back in the hands of small businesses,” said CEO and co-founder Ayoola Dominic.
By localising assembly in Nigeria, Koolboks expects to cut end-user prices by up to 20 per cent. Kenya’s InspiraFarms has followed a similar trajectory, securing $1.09 million in 2024 to expand its off-grid cold storage projects in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Ghana.
ColdHubs in Nigeria has developed a network of solar-powered walk-in cold rooms that have saved millions of kilogrammes of produce from perishing annually.
In Uganda, an 8,000-pallet cold-storage warehouse is being constructed at Namanve Industrial Park in Kampala. The project, backed by $18 million from the Africa Go Green Fund, is being developed under the ARCH Cold Chain Solutions East Africa Fund.
It will serve agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and retail, and is projected to avoid more than 300,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
“This financing enables us to build a high-quality cold storage and logistics system,” said Suki Muia, a director at Cold Solutions Kazi and ARCH Investment.
Laurène Aigrain, managing director of Africa Go Green, added that the facility will strengthen infrastructure and help Uganda manage food supplies and healthcare logistics year-round.
The regional market is expanding rapidly. Market Data Forecast projects that the Middle East and Africa cold chain market will grow from $23.8 billion in 2022 to $35.1 billion by 2028.
Local companies assembling solar fridges and modular cold-room components are creating jobs, cutting costs, and improving maintenance turnaround times.
Across the board, the model is reshaping incentives: less waste for farmers, longer shelf life for traders, and new revenue streams for investors.
“We can feed one billion more people globally if we solve post-harvest losses,” said Owusu Akoto, CEO of FreezeLink, speaking at the Africa Food Bank Conference.
“By increasing the shelf life of products and preventing food waste, Africa can not only fight food insecurity but also open new markets for exports,” added Rwandan entrepreneur Rob Nashihanya.
For Aisha, the benefits are clear and personal.
“It’s not just tomatoes anymore,” she said. “It’s knowing I won’t go home empty-handed.” (bird story agency)
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