Keep It Cool, a Kenyan enterprise dedicated to sustainable innovation, has been named one of the five winners of the esteemed 2024 Earthshot Prize.
With this award comes a £1 million grant to help Keep It Cool further its mission of reducing food spoilage and waste, while enhancing livelihoods in local communities.
Founded by Prince William, the Earthshot Prize honors transformative solutions tackling the world’s most urgent environmental challenges. By spotlighting pioneering projects, the Prize aims to inspire long-term positive change for a sustainable future.
Selected from over 2,500 nominees across 139 countries, Keep It Cool received recognition in the “Build a Waste-Free World” category, emphasizing Kenya’s leadership in environmental solutions.
In response to the award, Francis Nderitu, Keep It Cool’s founder and Managing Director, expressed his gratitude: “We are honored by The Earthshot Prize’s recognition. This milestone is significant for Keep It Cool as we work to revolutionize the food supply chain in East Africa. We remain committed to expanding market access, reducing waste, and fostering climate resilience for small-scale fish and poultry farmers across the region.”
Keep It Cool’s innovative approach offers small farmers and fishers sustainable refrigeration and efficient distribution systems that extend the shelf life of produce, reduce spoilage, and stabilize incomes. By boosting earnings and reducing waste, the company is paving the way toward a more sustainable future for local communities with a scalable model in line with Earthshot’s vision of a waste-free world.
At the awards ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa, Prince William, Founder and President of The Earthshot Prize, said, “I believe our world is rich with potential, hope, and optimism. That’s why The Earthshot Prize exists: to support visionaries, inventors, and creators; to help scale their achievements and inspire the next generation to build the future we all need.”
Alongside Keep It Cool, four other trailblazers were honored, each receiving £1 million for their impactful solutions in the Earthshot categories:
- Fix Our Climate: Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems
- Revive Our Oceans: High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People
- Protect and Restore Nature: Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative
- Clean Our Air: Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO)
Beyond the financial prize, each winner joins The Earthshot Prize Fellowship Programme, receiving mentorship, resources, and technical support from the Earthshot Prize Global Alliance—a network of leading businesses, investors, and environmental experts focused on scaling innovations for maximum impact.
The Multichoice Group, a key Earthshot Global Alliance member, has been instrumental in promoting Earthshot Prize finalists and winners. Since the Prize’s 2020 inception, more than £75 million in financial and in-kind support has fueled the advancement of critical environmental solutions worldwide.
Hosting this year’s Earthshot Prize ceremony in Africa underscored the continent’s critical role in climate action and environmental solutions. Cape Town joined a prestigious roster of host cities, showcasing Africa’s tremendous potential for driving environmental progress.
Source:
www.appsafrica.com
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