Nigerian founder Adekoyejo Kuye builds solar cold storage to cut Nigeria’s food waste

Adekoyejo Kuye, founder of KAMIM Technologies, spoke at Somerset Westview in Kilimani, Nairobi on July 28 during Halcyon’s Africa Food & Climate Resilience programme. His Nigerian climate-tech company designs solar-powered cold storage units and links farmers to markets, aiming to solve the nation’s massive post-harvest loss. Kuye explained that after harvesting, Nigerian farmers often have to sell produce immediately because no preservation infrastructure exists near farms, leading to spoilage of perishables like tomatoes and vegetables. He traced his path from a mechanical engineering aspiration, through youth service in Enugu State where he worked unpaid for a solar firm, to a master’s in renewable energy in Germany financed by factory and night‑shift jobs. Returning to Nigeria in 2019 without telling anyone, he launched KAMIM after realizing cold storage at the farm gate was almost non‑existent. Early trials showed tomatoes kept in a cold room lasted 21 days longer than those left under a tree, proving the concept. Kuye stresses that solving food waste requires more than apps—physical infrastructure like cold rooms, irrigation, and better roads is essential to reduce food inflation and give farmers bargaining power. He calls for government policies that ease permits, financial instruments that support asset‑heavy agri‑tech, and investment in the fragmented supply chain between farm gate and consumer. Will you support policies and investments that prioritize physical agri‑infrastructure over software‑only solutions to truly curb Nigeria’s food loss?

SOURCE: https://techcabal.com/2026/08/14/germany-offered-adekoyejo-kuye-future-chose-nigeria/