What Manifest’s VI Activation with BYD reveals about the future of commercial space in Nigeria

Adekoyejo Kuye, a Nigerian climate-tech entrepreneur, was offered a future in Germany but chose to return to his home country of Nigeria. Kuye is the founder of KAMIM Technologies, a company that builds solar-powered cold storage infrastructure and connects farmers to markets. He met with reporters in Nairobi on July 28, where he discussed the importance of addressing the country's agricultural preservation issues.

Kuye grew up in a household where academics were highly valued, with his father as a chemical engineering professor and his mother as a nurse. He was drawn to engineering from a young age, fascinated by taking apart toys to understand how they worked. After completing his national youth service in Nigeria, Kuye pursued a master's degree in renewable energy in Germany, financing his studies through factory jobs and night shifts at Amazon.

Upon returning to Nigeria, Kuye noticed that agricultural production was not the country's biggest problem, but rather preservation. Farmers struggled to transport harvested produce to markets due to the lack of cold storage infrastructure. Kuye realized that affordable cold storage solutions were necessary to extend the shelf life of perishable crops and improve farmers' livelihoods.

Despite the challenges posed by traditional financing institutions, Kuye persevered and began developing models to create a sustainable business around cold-chain infrastructure.