Nnaemeka Chidiebere Ikegwuonu[1] (born 1981 or 1982) is a Nigerian entrepreneur and radio broadcaster. He founded the Smallholders Foundation, which informs on sustainable farming through a radio station, and is CEO of ColdHubs, which rents solar-powered cold storage to food producers.[2]
Early life and education
Ikegwuonu is from a farming family in Imo State, Nigeria.[3][4][5] He earned a bachelor's degree in history and international studies from Imo State University and, in 2009, a master's degree in cooperation and development from the Institute for Advanced Studies at the University of Pavia, in Italy.[5][6] He also holds certificates in subjects including water resources management, poverty and human rights, and environmental education from various European universities.[6]
Career
After finishing school, Ikegwuonu worked for an NGO dealing with HIV among farmers.[7] In 2003, when he was 21, he founded the Smallholders Foundation, to provide information to farmers on sustainable practices;[5][7][8][9] he later added an interactive radio show,[10] with farmers using solar-powered handsets with a Wi-Fi connection to communicate with the broadcasters.[11] By 2010 it had approximately 250,000 listeners a day.[7][12]
In 2012, Ikegwuonu travelled to Dresden, where he met with scientists to discuss a cold storage system they had designed.[4] After initial implementation in 2014 of food coolers based on their design at markets,[4] in 2015 he launched ColdHubs, a company that rents solar-powered chilled storage space to farmers and fishers, reducing food waste and increasing their profits.[3][8][13][14]
He has also designed a trolley that prolongs the shelf life of cassava.[15] In 2018 he became a Biodiversity fellow of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science at the University of Oxford, England.[6]
Awards
Ikegwuonu became an Ashoka fellow in 2008.[11][16] He also received the Rolex Award in 2010,[3][5][7][11][15] the WISE Award in 2010,[12] and the Yara Prize for Green Revolution in Africa.[15]