A team of four University of Lagos (UNILAG) students has earned national recognition after developing an innovative cold storage solution that could help reduce one of Nigeria's biggest agricultural challenges of post-harvest food losses.
The students emerged overall champions at the Tertiary Institutions Energy Pitch Challenge (TIEC 4.0), a national innovation competition organised by the Nigeria Energy Forum and sponsored by All On. Their victory highlights the growing role of Nigerian students in creating practical solutions to real-world problems.
Their award-winning innovation, Coolbox, is a battery-free cold storage system designed to preserve fresh tomatoes and peppers for between 10 and 14 days, a significant improvement over the typical two-day shelf life. By extending the freshness of highly perishable produce, the technology offers a practical response to the enormous losses suffered by farmers and food vendors across Nigeria each year.
The winning team consists of Samuel-Rotua Richard and Ogunsanwo Emmanuel O., both 300-level students of Chemical Engineering, alongside Chiugo Joy Okpalanedu, a Law student, and Babayanju Covenant Priscilla from the Department of Economics. Their multidisciplinary collaboration was guided by Prof. Faith Uchenna Babalola, whose mentorship helped transform the concept into a prize-winning innovation.
In recognition of their outstanding performance, the team secured the competition's ₦3 million grand prize. They also captured the Public Vote Award, worth an additional ₦500,000, bringing their total winnings to ₦3.5 million. The prize money will support the real-market deployment of the Coolbox technology, creating an opportunity for the innovation to move beyond the competition stage and into the hands of those who need it most.
Commending the remarkable feat, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, congratulated both the students and their mentor for bringing honour to the institution through innovation and excellence.
As young Nigerians continue to develop homegrown solutions to pressing national challenges, they are proving that the country's future will be driven not only by academic excellence but also by bold ideas with the power to transform lives, strengthen industries, and accelerate national development.
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