Koolboks Collaborates with Orange to Expand Solar-Powered Freezer Enterprise Across 11 African Nations

In collaboration with the Franco-Nigerian startup Koolboks, Orange intends to introduce a range of solar-powered freezers in the 11 African countries where it conducts business.

Koolboks employs equipment equipped with solar panels and batteries, enabling independent operation for up to three days, facilitating the installation of freezing and refrigeration solutions. The company concluded a $2.5 million seed investment round in August last year, with contributions from investors such as Acumen, Blue Earth Capital, All On, GSMA, and others, with Aruwa Capital Management leading the round.

Through its advanced cold storage solutions, Koolboks seeks to aid countries in attaining Sustainable Development Goal 7 and empower businesses across various sectors, including healthcare, food, hospitality, and pharmaceuticals. This objective will undoubtedly be realized with the recent collaboration’s support.

As per an official statement, Koolboks’ solar equipment also incorporates LED lighting and USB connections, enabling swift charging of diverse devices like phones and tablets. The partnership between the Orange Group and Koolboks will first be implemented in the Democratic Republic of the Congo before extending to the other 11 countries where the Orange Group operates.

Founder and CEO of Koolboks, Ayoola Dominic, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership with Orange for marketing and selling their solar freezers. He emphasized that the solution was designed to meet a demand, providing off-grid households and small businesses access to lighting and food preservation. The collaboration offers them the opportunity to extend this convenience to numerous nations and regions.

In a statement, the startup highlighted, “No one should be deprived of refrigeration due to its cost. With Koolboks’ innovative integrated payment technology, distributors can offer Koolhome freezers to customers with a rent-to-own option. Individuals and businesses can make small monthly or weekly payments to own a solar refrigerator through the Aganza, Paygee, and Solaris platforms, with the additional option of using Orange Money for payments.”