Heifer International Launches 100-tonne Solar Powered ColdHubs In Zaria

To boost the production and marketing of horticultural products in Nigeria, Heifer International has supported Nigerian-based ColdHubs to build a 100-tonne capacity off-grid solar-powered storage solution in Danmagaji Market, Zaria, Kaduna State. The project was commissioned on Wednesday.

At the occasion, the country director of Heifer International Nigeria, Rufus Idris, said young entrepreneurs across Africa have the capacity to develop homegrown solutions that will support farmers across the continent.

He said, “We want to do our part to help young innovators deploy transformative agric-tech innovations that will boost farming and food production and provide small holder farmers with the support they require to grow a profitable, sustainable business.”

The founder and CEO of ColdHubs, Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu, said Heifer’s support had proven to be a major catalyst for the food storage solution, as the company has now launched an ambitious expansion

strategy.

“Heifer International is supporting us to deploy ten (10) ColdHubs across Nigeria. Eight out of these are three-tonne capacity Hubs while two out of the ten are 100-tonne capacity Hubs. With this support, we are expanding our affordable, pay-as-you-go refrigeration option and making it available right in the middle of local markets and farm clusters,” said Ikegwuonu.

The Emir of Zazzau represented by Rilwanu Yahaya Pate, Sarkin Yaki Zazzau and Council member, Zazzau Emirate, thanked both Heifer International and Coldhubs for initiating and completing the project which according to him would help mitigate the storage problems usually encountered by horticultural farmers in the North.

One of the winners of Heifer International’s 2021 AYuTe (Agriculture Youth and Technology) Africa Challenge, ColdHubs is expanding its agritech storage solution to Kaduna State, Nigeria.

In 2021, the founders of ColdHubs and Hello Tractor were selected as winners of the inaugural AYuTe

Africa Challenge.

The AYuTe Africa Challenge serves as a springboard for identifying outstanding young agritech innovators in various Heifer countries, as well as assisting in the formation of strong partnerships.

Through a regional competition, Heifer International awards up to US$1.5 million each year to leading agri-tech innovators across Africa. National competitions in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda,

Senegal and Uganda also award up to $20,000 in each country.

ColdHubs Limited, one of the winners of the inaugural AYuTe Africa Challenge, is a social enterprise in Nigeria that designs, installs, commissions, and operates 100% solar-powered, walk-in cold rooms known as “ColdHubs” in farm clusters and outdoor food markets. The Hubs are used by smallholder farmers, retailers and wholesalers, to store and preserve perishable foods, extending their shelf life from two days to 21 days.

The transportable, stand-alone units give local farmers an affordable, pay-as-you-go option for keeping their farm produce fresh for days and weeks. The unit’s solar panels are connected to a battery storage system that allows the coolers to operate completely off the grid 24 hours a day.

This commissioning in Zaria adds to more than 50 existing ColdHubs across Nigeria.

According to the National Horticulture Research Institute (NIHORT), Nigeria’s current tomato production is 2.3 metric tonnes as against 2.8 metric tonnes in 2021. NIHORT estimates that about 40 percent of the fruit does not make its way to the end user owing to post-harvest losses.

The ColdHubs ecosystem will not only provide refrigeration solutions but build the capacity of traders and farmers to engage in improved storage practices using crates and other contemporary packaging.

Heifer’s country director, Idris at the occasion said, “We are in Kaduna to launch an innovative 100-tonne capacity solar-powered cold room that will guarantee 24/7 refrigeration of tomatoes and other perishable commodities. This Hub will guarantee sustainable income for farmers and traders by reducing the pressure on the sellers to sell soon after harvest because they have no affordable ways of keeping their produce fresh.”

Earlier in the year, two Heifer-supported 3-tonne capacity ColdHubs were commissioned at Kuto Market Abeokuta, Ogun State, and the ABAT CBD Market, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos State. Through the partnership with Heifer International six of such 3-tonne capacity Hubs are also being installed across the country. Two each in Osun and Ondo states and one each in Ekiti and Oyo states.

In Zaria, Kaduna, the Hub has been upgraded to a massive 100-tonne facility that will not only benefit the state but neighbouring tomato clusters in Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states. Another 100-tonne capacity Hub is also billed for commissioning in Jos, Plateau State by mid-2023.

Heifer International conceived the idea for the AYuTe Africa Challenge based on five decades of work as a trusted partner of African farmers and following the need to link local farms to new technologies that will ensure increased yield and income.

The launching of the 100-tonne capacity ColdHubs in Zaria adds to a network of more than 50 existing ColdHubs across Nigeria, 10 of which have been powered through Heifer International’s support.