Amid soaring inflation, fuel price hikes, and intensifying heatwaves, Koolboks is delivering affordable, sustainable cooling solutions to homes and small businesses across Africa.
With over 40 per cent of food in Sub-Saharan Africa lost to poor refrigeration, while cold storage access stands at just 17 per cent compared to 90 per cent in developed countries, experts noted that it has become imperative more than ever to provide innovative solutions to the problem.
Rolling out Koolbuy from Koolboks, from solar-powered freezers that slash food spoilage to eco-friendly air conditioners, Koolbuy is transforming the sun into an income-generating partner with as low as ₦1,500 daily.
CEO, Koolboks, Ayoola Dominic, noted that if businesses cannot preserve food, they run into trouble, adding that Koolbuy turns the sun into a business partner for those who need it the most.
According to him, Koolbuy only features appliances that use natural refrigerants, with zero ozone depletion potential and ultra-low global warming impact. He added that they do not sell toxic tech, only clean cooling for a warming world.
He said as Africa’s middle class rapidly expands, the risk of a flood of used, environmentally harmful cooling appliances is real, and they are leading the continent to leapfrog outdated models and adopt climate-smart refrigeration.
Also unveiled was Scrap4New, a circular economy initiative enabling customers to trade in outdated, polluting appliances for solar-ready, climate-smart models. Flexible plans allow customers to swap, convert or purchase cooling appliances through daily, weekly or monthly financing options with initial deposits as low as 10 per cent.
Pointing out that it is now about survival, he said lack of cooling ruins medicine, accelerates food waste and fuels climate change. The company also launched the PowerFoot Pedestal, a plug-and-play solar system that turns any freezer into a solar-powered appliance with rooftop panels and lithium batteries for round-the-clock cooling.
Co-founder and COO, Deborah Gael, pointed out that businesses now have the option of running their businesses without spending on petrol.
The launch event, themed, The Cold Truth and held in Lagos, was attended by over 220 high-end store owners across the country. It also featured a brand ambassadorship signing with Mercy Johnson, strengthening the company’s community engagement and public awareness efforts.
A panel discussion titled, “The Cold Chain Crisis: Who Really Pays the Price?” brought together stakeholders including Caroline Eboumbou (All On), Adesina Fisayo, Feyisayo Alayande (Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) and was moderated by Gael.
The session spotlighted the urgent need for investment, awareness and policy support to address Africa’s fragile cold chain infrastructure as they called on the Federal Government to enable duty-free solar imports, enforce clean cooling standards and invest in awareness campaigns.
