By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
AkoFresh, an innovation
emerging from UNICEF StartUp Lab Cohort 3, has been awarded the inaugural OPEC
Fund Youth Entrepreneurship Award, receiving US$100,000 in recognition of its
contribution to climate resilience and food security.
The award was announced
during the OPEC Fund Development Forum 2026 in Vienna and celebrates young
entrepreneurs under 30 who are developing scalable solutions to climate change,
renewable energy access and food systems transformation across the developing
world.
AkoFresh was recognised for
its solar-powered cold storage technology designed to reduce post-harvest food
losses by extending the shelf life of fruits and vegetables for up to 21 days.
The innovation is complemented by refrigerated transport services and farmer
training programmes aimed at strengthening rural value chains.
According to UNICEF StartUp
Lab, AkoFresh’s solution directly supports smallholder farmers by reducing food
waste, improving market access and increasing income stability in communities
where post-harvest losses remain a significant challenge.
The organisation noted that
the recognition underscores the growing role of youth-led innovation in
addressing global development challenges, particularly in strengthening climate
adaptation and sustainable agriculture systems.
The OPEC Fund Youth
Entrepreneurship Award is part of a broader initiative to support high-impact
innovations that demonstrate measurable development outcomes and potential for
scale across multiple regions.
