The Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative manufactures high-quality, multi-purpose bamboo bikes that are suitable for rough terrain and adapted to local needs.
The bikes currently available in Ghana are often of poor quality and unsuitable for local needs. In response, this initiative gives people in rural areas the option to buy a durable bike, which is locally-made using Ghana’s abundant bamboo resources. The initiative also has an academy that trains apprentices to manufacture and repair bamboo bikes, equipping them to start their own businesses. The industry provides employment where few economic opportunities are available. The bicycles are sold both locally and abroad.
Our bikes can withstand large loads, rough terrain, and inclement weather, and are configured to be not only affordable, but also maintained and repaired locally.
Bernice Dapaah – Executive Director, Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative
The bikes can withstand rough terrain and inclement weather, and are designed to be easy to maintain and repair. Moreover, the design can easily be modified to accommodate different needs, such as carrying farm loads, passengers, water or health workers’ kits. The initiative is also developing a multi-purpose cargo bicycle which is integrated with a phone charger, enabling riders with no access to electricity to charge their phones as they pedal.
Why you should care
Bicycles represent a reliable form of transport for rural Ghanaians due to their affordability and the inefficiencies of public transport alternatives. Bikes reduce transportation time, enable farmers to carry goods to markets and improve people’s access to social services. This solution stimulates the local economy and encourages sustainable modes of transportation.
How the Global Goals are addressed
Decent Work and Economic Growth
The initiative creates jobs and encourages entrepreneurship. It prioritises training and employing women. Additionally, stronger bikes are important for farmers delivering their produce to markets.
Responsible Consumption and Production
Manufacturing bike frames from a renewable resource such as bamboo reduces the demand for steel, and lowers the associated resource strain and environmental impact.
Life on Land
Bamboo is fast-growing, allowing well-managed bamboo plantations to help to curb deforestation. The root structure of bamboo also helps to prevent erosion and soil depletion.
The Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative
The Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative offers multipurpose second-generation bamboo bikes that are suitable for the high terrain and rough roads in Ghana, for local and international needs using native bamboo.
Global Goals addressed
