Ten Nigerian firms have secured a combined $560,000 in funding under the inaugural cohort of the TECA Heat Action Wave programme aimed at accelerating solutions to extreme heat across the country.
The programme, launched by BFA Global, FSD Africa, ClimateWorks Foundation, and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Nigeria, selected 10 early-stage ventures developing innovations to address the growing impact of rising temperatures on agriculture, healthcare, sanitation, energy systems, and food preservation.
According to a statement on Tuesday, the selected firms will each receive $56,000 alongside venture-acceleration support covering product development, business model design, investor readiness, and user validation.
The initiative comes amid growing concerns over the economic and health impact of extreme heat in Nigeria, where rising temperatures are worsening food spoilage, livestock losses, crop stress, and pressure on healthcare infrastructure.
According to the organisers, the ventures were selected from a competitive pool and reflect a growing climate innovation ecosystem spanning Lagos, Kaduna, and Edo States.
Among the selected firms are Ofemini Global Limited, which operates a heat-resilient logistics platform for transporting perishable farm produce; Agiletech Operations Consulting Limited, which provides hyperlocal climate and heat alerts to farmers and micro-entrepreneurs; and Emplaris, which develops predictive energy and heat-risk intelligence systems for hospitals.
Others include Doorcas Africa, which uses artificial intelligence to improve livestock health and reduce heat-related mortality; Farmxic, which offers AI-driven soil and crop diagnostics; and Let-It-Cold, which provides solar-powered cooling systems for preserving perishable goods during heatwaves and power outages.
Speaking on the initiative, TECA Director at BFA Global, Tyler Ferdinand, said extreme heat had become one of the biggest operational risks facing African economies despite limited investment in adaptation solutions.
“Extreme heat is rapidly becoming one of the biggest operational risks facing African economies, yet it remains dramatically underinvested.
“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,” Ferdinand said.
The Director of Early Stage Finance at FSD Africa, Juliet Munro, said scaling climate adaptation finance on the continent would depend on practical and investable solutions.
“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,” she said.
Also, the Senior Director of Adaptation and Resilience at ClimateWorks Foundation, Jessica Brown, noted that the economic cost of failing to address climate change was increasing globally.
“The cost of inaction on climate change is growing, as over 70 per cent 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,” Brown said.
Also commenting, Temi Akinrinade of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Nigeria, said the initiative aligned with broader efforts to support private sector-led climate innovation in Nigeria.
“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,” Akinrinade stated.
The programme is expected to run through 2026 and will culminate in demo days and investor engagement opportunities, with follow-on support planned for top-performing ventures.
The PUNCH