Entrepreneurship Zone: 11 February 2025 : Investment firm bets on refrigerated warehouses in Africa

[Bulls n Bears]

 <https://bullszimbabwe.com/> 

 


 

Bullszimbabwe.com  <http://www.bullszimbabwe.com/>       Views
<mailto:info at bulls.co.zw?subject=View%20and%20Comments> & Comments
Bullish Thoughts <http://www.bulls.co.zw/blog>        Twitter
<http://www.twitter.com/BullsBears2010>         Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/BullsBearsZimbabwe>           LinkedIn
<http://www.linkedin.com/pub/bulls-n-bears-zimbabwe/57/577/72>
WhatsApp <https://chat.whatsapp.com/CF6wllAfScU9Wr6dXxoQnO>
Unsubscribe <mailto:info at bulls.co.zw?subject=Unsubscribe> 

 


 

 


Entrepreneurship Zone: 11 February  2025 :  Investment firm bets on
refrigerated warehouses in Africa

 


 

 


 <https://www.firstcapitalbank.co.zw/> 

 


 

 


 

 

 



In many sub-Saharan African countries, cold chain infrastructure is
underdeveloped, and in some places even non-existent, according to Damilola
Agbaje, director of African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM). The
United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates over 40% of food
in sub-Saharan Africa perishes before it reaches a consumer. This can be as
high as 60% for fresh produce, pointing to unmet demand for
temperature-controlled cold-storage warehouses and transportation services.

Tapping into this opportunity, AIIM, together with other investment
partners, recently established Commercial Cold Holdings, which it plans to
grow into a pan-African cold chain logistics platform. Agbaje says
temperature-controlled logistics infrastructure is important to improve food
security in the region and enable domestic food producers to meet the
standards required to participate in global trade. He added that high
population growth rates and rapid urbanisation have increased pressure on
the continent’s temperature-controlled storage infrastructure.

AIIM has earmarked US$150 million for investments in Commercial Cold
Holdings, which in turn will acquire existing cold chain businesses and
start greenfield projects with strategic physical locations and/or
integration with market-leading food producers, wholesalers and retailers.
It aims to build out a network of temperature-controlled warehouses in key
demand hubs and food production regions on the continent. The platform this
week announced its acquisition of South Africa’s CCS Logistics, which
operates cold storage facilities in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Walvis Bay,
Namibia.

AIIM’s research shows that despite South Africa’s relatively advanced cold
chain infrastructure, it still lags comparable countries: South Africa has
13m3 of cold storage per 1,000 residents, compared to 105m3 and 83m3 in
Egypt and Brazil, respectively.

Recent years have seen a growing number of African entrepreneurs and
investors introducing cold chain solutions:

·         Koolboks, founded in 2018, provides small businesses in Nigeria
and beyond with cold storage solutions. It has developed an off-grid
solar-powered unit that works as a refrigerator or freezer, which can stay
cool for up to four days without power and sunlight. The units also come
with two LED lighting bulbs and USB ports for charging mobile phones.
Koolboks has integrated pay-as-you-go technology, which makes the units more
affordable. The business recently closed a $2.5 million seed funding round,
led by Aruwa Capital Management, bringing its total investment to date to
$3.5 million

·         ColdHubs is a Nigerian company that operates solar-powered cold
rooms, providing a pay-as-you-store service for fresh produce to smallholder
farmers and market merchants. Each 3m2 cooling unit can hold three tonnes of
food. A customer pays 200 Nigerian naira (about half a US dollar) to store
fresh produce in a 20kg returnable plastic crate, for one day. Today the
company, founded in 2015, has 54 hubs in 22 states, with a total staff of
68. 

·         Cold Solutions Kenya, a portfolio company of private equity
vehicle ARCH Cold Chain Solutions East Africa Fund, in 2020 announced it
will invest KSh 7.5 billion ($62 million) to construct state-of-the-art,
temperature-controlled warehouses in Nairobi and Mombasa. The company’s
flagship facility in the Tatu City Special Economic Zone in Nairobi and has
been designed to cater for numerous temperature ranges from +26°C to -40°C
across multiple product ranges, from fresh fruit and vegetables,
pharmaceuticals and vaccines to meats, poultry and frozen foods.

·         InspiraFarms designs and supplies cold-storage solutions for
fresh produce companies in Africa. It has a wide variety of clients, from
small-scale farmer groups to large agricultural enterprises. InspiraFarms
has developed prefabricated, modular cold-storage technology. The units are
portable and can easily be removed or relocated. They are also relatively
easy to install in rural areas. To make this more affordable, InspiraFarms
presents its clients with a variety of financing options.

 

—Howwemadeitinafrica

 

 


 


 


 

 Invest Cellphone:    +263 71 944 1674 | +27 79 993 5557 

Email:                <mailto:bulls at bullszimbabwe.com>
bulls at bullszimbabwe.com

Website:             <http://www.bullszimbabwe.com> www.bullszimbabwe.com 

Blog:                  <http://www.bullszimbabwe.com/blog>
www.bullszimbabwe.com/blog

Twitter (X):        @bullsbears2010

LinkedIn:           Bulls n Bears Zimbabwe

Facebook:           <http://www.facebook.com/BullsBearsZimbabwe>
www.facebook.com/BullsBearsZimbabwe

Skype:         Bulls.Bears 



 

 

 


 

 


DISCLAIMER: This report has been prepared by Bulls ‘n Bears, a division of
Faith Capital (Pvt) Ltd for general information purposes only and does not
constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy or
subscribe for any securities. The information contained in this report has
been compiled from sources believed to be reliable, but no representation or
warranty is made or guarantee given as to its accuracy or completeness. All
opinions expressed and recommendations made are subject to change without
notice. Securities or financial instruments mentioned herein may not be
suitable for all investors. Securities of emerging and mid-size growth
companies typically involve a higher degree of risk and more volatility than
the securities of more established companies. Neither Faith Capital nor any
other member of Bulls ‘n Bears nor any other person, accepts any liability
whatsoever for any loss howsoever arising from any use of this report or its
contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith. Recipients of this
report shall be solely responsible for making their own independent
investigation into the business, financial condition and future prospects of
any companies referred to in this report. Other  Indices quoted herein are
for guideline purposes only and sourced from third parties.

 


 

 


(c) 2025 Web:  <http://www.bullszimbabwe.com> www.bullszimbabwe.com Email:
<mailto:bulls at bullszimbabwe.com> bulls at bullszimbabwe.com Tel: +27 79 993
5557 | +263 71 944 1674

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: winmail.dat
Type: application/ms-tnef
Size: 378431 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://listmail.bulls.co.zw/pipermail/bulls/attachments/20250211/30f55b4a/attachment-0001.bin>