Bridgit Banso

Nigerian engineer and social entrepreneur pioneering solar-powered refrigeration to combat food waste in Africa

Bridgit Banso is a visionary Nigerian engineer and entrepreneur whose work in sustainable technology has made significant impacts across West Africa. As founder of Solar Freeze, she developed Africa's first solar-powered refrigeration system specifically designed for off-grid communities. This innovation addresses two critical challenges: food spoilage (which accounts for 40% of post-harvest losses in Nigeria) and reliance on fossil fuels.

Her modular solar refrigeration units use phase-change materials to store energy, requiring no batteries or grid connection. This system has enabled smallholder farmers to preserve perishable goods like fruits, vegetables, and dairy products for up to 72 hours. Over 5,000 farmers across 12 Nigerian states now use her technology, reducing waste and increasing incomes by an average of 30%.

Banso's approach combines engineering brilliance with community-driven design. She worked closely with farmers during prototyping to ensure affordability and usability, keeping costs 60% lower than imported alternatives. Her work has been featured in Forbes Africa and recognized by the African Innovation Foundation's Afrilabs Prize (2023).

Beyond her technical contributions, Banso founded the Tech4AgriTech Initiative to train young women in renewable energy systems. This program has graduated 200 female engineers since 2020, creating a new generation of problem-solvers in sustainable agriculture. Her TEDx talk "How Solar Power Is Cooling the Food Waste Crisis" has been viewed over 500,000 times.

By merging cutting-edge engineering with grassroots implementation, Banso's work exemplifies how localized innovation can transform entire economies. Her solar refrigeration systems are now expanding to Ghana and Kenya through partnerships with UNDP, proving that African solutions can effectively address global challenges like food security and climate change.