Beating the Heat: How Micro-Enterprises in West Africa Are Demanding Smarter Cooling Solutions
A quiet crisis unfolds daily in bustling markets across Accra, Kano, Lagos, and beyond: traders lose income, goods, and health to rising temperatures. Through the Scaling Passive Affordable Cooling for Environmental Sustainability (SPACES) project, Ndarama Works has uncovered how heat stress is directly threatening livelihoods and how passive cooling solutions could shift this trajectory.
The Problem:
Roughly 85% of surveyed informal traders reported losing 1.5–2.5 hours of productivity daily due to extreme heat. In high-heat stress markets, up to 40% of traders directly link daily financial losses to product spoilage.
In Ghana, 51% of traders work under uncovered or lightly shaded stalls; in Nigeria, it’s an alarming 83%. These conditions make even basic trading dangerous and unsustainable.
The Opportunity
Informal traders responded with clear interest when presented with affordable, energy-free cooling technology. These solutions—ranging from personal wearables to structure-shading innovations—show real promise:
- Over one-third of surveyed traders in Ghana and Nigeria expressed readiness to buy cooling gear when priced accessibly.
- Interest grew sharply (up to 72%) when pricing was adjusted or flexible payment options were offered.
- Traders also expressed openness to group purchases, rental models, and cooperative schemes that would make access more feasible.
- Cross-sector benefits: Improved cooling supports not only food vendors but also electronics sellers, transporters, and personal care traders, expanding the impact across a broader informal sector.
Gender Dynamics Matter
In Ghana, 80% of traders were women, reinforcing the need for gender-responsive design. Product ergonomics, price sensitivity, and mobility are non-negotiable.
Where Next:
Ndarama Works will conduct targeted pilots in cities like Accra, Kumasi, Lagos, and Kano. These will prioritize:
- Product design that fits the physical and social reality of the informal economy
- Last-mile distribution using existing informal networks
- Flexible payment models (instalments, cooperatives)
Conclusion
As Ndarama Works continues to pair research with real-world applications, one thing is clear: heat is not just an environmental issue, it’s an economic one. And passive cooling is not a luxury; it’s a survival tool.
The SPACES project forms part of the Technology-to-Market partnership between the Shell Foundation, Trane Technologies, and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).