CAPE TOWN, South Africa—Francis Nderitu, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Keep IT Cool, has led his team to win the Earthshot Prize 2024’s Build a Waste-Free World category.
The Prince of Wales’ annual Earthshot Prize Awards, which are in Cape Town, South Africa, for the fourth time this year, are dubbed by organisers Prince William’s “Super Bowl moment.”
“We have won the Earthshot Prize 2024! ~ “Build A Waste Free World” and” Keep IT Cool posted on its official X account (formerly Twitter).
While announcing the results, The Earthshot Prize organisers said:
“@keepitcoolapp wins The Earthshot Prize to Build a Waste-Free World. Its smart solution to reduce food waste and improve distribution for smallholder farmers and fishers is improving daily lives; we can’t wait to see them reach millions more! #EarthshotCapeTown.”
All we know about Kenyan Keep IT Cool startup
Y News has established that Keep IT Cool is a forward-thinking African startup based in Nairobi. It has revolutionised the supply chain industry by creating a smart distribution platform known as Markiti.
Its platform uses innovative business models and technology to link supply and demand in the fish and chicken value chains.
The platform reduces post-harvest losses by leveraging decentralised off-grid and on-grid cold storage facilities and guarantees market access for small-scale farmers and fishermen.
“We provide farmers and fishermen with a cost-effective way of getting their products directly to the consumers. Through the platform, the company has been able to help small-scale farmers and fishermen increase their income while promoting fair trade,” the company states on its website.
The company uses technology to create an efficient and transparent supply chain, solving supply chain problems and creating value for underserved communities.
Why the Earthshot Prize Award was established
Y News has established that William, 42, landed in Cape Town on Monday, November 4, 2024, continuing his environmental effort to its fourth continent in as many years, after stops in London in 2021, Boston in 2022, and Singapore in 2023.
As the Earthshot Prize Awards made their way to Africa, they returned to their origins: the royal, after visiting Namibia in 2018, was motivated to start the Earthshot Prize two years later, in 2020.
According to a Kensington Palace official, Prince William was “inspired by projects which were working to protect their environment and support local communities” following his visit to Namibia eight years ago.
“The prince wanted to find a way to highlight and scale the creative solutions he was seeing on the ground because he was frustrated by the pessimism and despair of the global debate.”
Thus, he established The Earthshot Prize, in which 15 finalists each year vie for a $1.3 million (Sh167,700,000) prize in each of the organisation’s five categories: Fix Our Climate, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World, and Protect and Restore Nature.
The prize money winners earn is used to scale their particular businesses, and the awards are presented at an annual awards event.
