Nigeria’s Rising Heat Drives Climate Startup Growth
The cost of inaction on climate change is growing, as over 70% of workers around the world are at risk from deadly extreme heat. At the same time, momentum for adaptation is growing, as we see both more funding and more innovation.
Nigeria is getting much hotter. This increasing heat is creating big problems for everyone. It ruins crops, causes food to rot quickly, and even harms farm animals. Because of these challenges, a new group of businesses is growing in Nigeria. Their main goal is to protect food, help farm animals stay healthy, and give hospitals and people who work outside the tools they need to stay safe in extreme weather.
Several big organizations have come together to help these new businesses. These include BFA Global, FSD Africa, the ClimateWorks Foundation, and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) in Nigeria. They have picked 10 new companies to join a special program called the TECA Heat Action Wave (THAW). This program is designed to help these companies quickly find and grow solutions for extreme heat.
The 10 selected ventures: Heat-resilient logistics platforms
Ofemini Global Limited provides a heat-resilient logistics platform that helps farmers transport perishable goods efficiently, reducing spoilage caused by extreme temperatures through optimized routing and heat monitoring.
Agiletech Operations Consulting Limited provides a hyperlocal early-warning system that delivers climate and heat alerts through accessible channels, enabling farmers and micro-entrepreneurs to anticipate risks and take preventive action.
Emplaris develops a predictive energy and heat-risk intelligence system for healthcare facilities, helping hospitals anticipate outages and manage equipment stress during extreme heat events.
Doorcas Africa delivers an AI-powered livestock health and co-ownership platform that enables early disease detection and prevention, helping farmers reduce heat-related livestock mortality and improve productivity.
Farmxic offers an AI-driven soil and crop diagnostics platform that helps farmers adapt to heat-induced soil degradation and crop stress through real-time insights and personalized recommendations.
The 10 selected ventures: Climate-resilient agricultural systems
Farm Fresh Grocery Ltd. builds a climate-resilient agricultural system combining heat-adaptive beekeeping, herb production, and consumer products to stabilize yields and supply under rising temperatures.
Farmslate Technologies Limited provides a climate intelligence platform that translates satellite and weather data into actionable insights, enabling farmers and financial institutions to manage heat-related risks and improve decision-making.
Let-It-Cold offers a solar-powered, portable cooling solution that helps small businesses and households preserve perishable goods during extreme heat and power outages.
Pod develops a climate-resilient sanitation system that prevents failure and contamination in heat- and flood-prone environments through on-site treatment and water reuse.
TheHyWing Ltd provides a climate-smart digital health platform that combines heat alerts, AI diagnostics, and telemedicine to prevent heat-related health risks among outdoor workers and vulnerable populations.
These businesses are leading the way in responding to Nigeria’s growing heat problems. For a long time, the effects of extreme heat were ignored. Now, these startups are fixing immediate issues like food going bad because it is too hot and the lack of cooling systems. They are also helping with soil that is getting ruined by heat and making sure farm animals do not get sick or die from the high temperatures.
These companies are located in different parts of Nigeria, including Lagos, Kaduna, and Edo States. This shows that smart ideas to fight climate change are coming from all over the country.
Leaders from the organizations supporting this program are very hopeful. Tyler Ferdinand, the TECA Director at BFA Global, said: “Extreme heat is rapidly becoming one of the biggest operational risks facing African economies, yet it remains dramatically underinvested.” He also said: “Through TECA’s Heat Action Wave, we’re backing entrepreneurs building the tools, services, and financial products that will allow people, businesses, and cities to function in a hotter world. Our goal is not only to support these ventures but to prove that climate adaptation can become a powerful new investment frontier.”
Juliet Munro, who works at FSD Africa, said: “If climate adaptation finance is going to scale in Africa, it has to be grounded in real, investable solutions. This group of innovators tackling extreme heat is important because it shows what those solutions look like in practice, and that’s what gives markets the confidence to follow. At FSD Africa, our role is to help turn early innovation like this into something markets can actually back.”
Jessica Brown from ClimateWorks Foundation noted that more than 70% of workers worldwide are at risk from deadly heat. She said: “The cost of inaction on climate change is growing, as over 70% of workers around the world are at risk from deadly extreme heat. At the same time, momentum for adaptation is growing, as we see both more funding and more innovation. These new business ventures are strong, community-led solutions that can accelerate resilience in Nigeria and more broadly in the West African region.”
Finally, Temi Akinrinade from the UK’s FCDO said: “Responding to climate change is central to Nigeria’s future growth and resilience. The UK is excited to support this cohort of ambitious Nigerian businesses developing transformative solutions to extreme heat. TECA’s Heat Action Wave is part of a broader UK partnership with Nigeria that backs private sector–led innovation, creates jobs, and drives shared prosperity for both our countries as we transition to a greener economy.”
The success of these ten startups shows that Nigeria is a place where the solutions to climate change are being built. By turning the challenge of extreme heat into an opportunity for innovation, these entrepreneurs are proving that it is possible to protect people, food, and the economy at the same time.
The journey of the TECA Heat Action Wave cohort is a powerful reminder that when we invest in local talent and smart technology, we can build a future that is not only greener but also more prosperous for everyone.
