PIND, ColdHubs launch solar-powered cold storage facility to cut post-harvest losses in Bayelsa
The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), in partnership with ColdHubs Limited, has commissioned a solar-powered cold storage and ice-making facility at Swali Market in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state, to reduce post-harvest losses and improve livelihoods in coastal communities.
The project, developed by ColdHubs with support from PIND’s Coastal Communities Off-Grid Energy Challenge Fund, is designed to provide affordable and reliable cold storage services for fisherfolk, food traders, smallholder farmers and other businesses operating within Swali Market and neighbouring communities.
Powered by a 44kWp solar photovoltaic system with 240kWh battery storage, the facility features a walk-in cold room and a solar-powered ice-making unit capable of producing up to one tonne of ice daily.
The organisations said the intervention would reduce food spoilage, improve product quality, increase incomes for market participants and reduce dependence on diesel-powered refrigeration while expanding access to clean energy.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Sam Ogbemi Daibo, executive director of PIND, described the facility as a practical demonstration of how renewable energy can stimulate economic growth and strengthen local markets.
“This facility demonstrates that renewable energy is more than a source of electricity—it is a catalyst for livelihoods, enterprise growth and economic resilience,” Daibo said.
“By supporting innovative businesses like ColdHubs, PIND is helping to build stronger market systems that reduce losses, increase incomes and improve food security across the Niger Delta.”
Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu, founder and chief executive officer of ColdHubs Limited, said the partnership would expand access to cold-chain technology in underserved communities where inadequate storage facilities continue to affect farmers and traders.
“For many small-scale producers, the lack of reliable cold storage translates directly into lost income,” Ikegwuonu said.
“This partnership with PIND enables us to bring sustainable, solar-powered cold chain solutions closer to the people who need them most, helping preserve food quality, reduce waste and improve livelihoods.”
Stakeholders at Swali Market welcomed the facility, describing it as a major boost for businesses that rely on preserving perishable goods.
Charity Ochiezi, a fish trader at the market, said access to affordable cold storage would help traders reduce spoilage and improve their earnings.
“Before now, we lost a large portion of our fish because we had no affordable way to preserve it,” she said.
“This facility will help us keep our products fresh for longer, reduce spoilage and increase our earnings.”
According to PIND, the Swali Market project is one of several clean-energy initiatives being implemented under its Access to Energy and Market Systems Development programmes to strengthen agricultural and fisheries value chains across the Niger Delta.
The organisation said the initiative combines renewable energy with market-driven innovation to provide a scalable model for reducing post-harvest losses, improving food security and creating sustainable livelihoods in rural and coastal communities.
