Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative

Its rare that one comes across an idea that is worthy of hype. The Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative is such. Simplicity is its genius. There is no new glamorous technology, no celebrity backing, no explosions. Just a whole lot of bicycles made of bamboo. What made this a brilliant idea was not the bikes per se but the ecosystem that it created.

Scratching your head trying to imagine bicycle wheels made of bamboo? The bike frames are made of 100% bamboo but the other components like wheels and chains are made of the usual steel. Based in Kumasi, Ghana, the bamboo bikes idea is the brainchild of Bernice Dapaah and a handful of engineering students. Back in 2019 when Bernice was a recent college graduate (she holds a master’s degree in Development and Management from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology) she and handful of engineering students came up with the idea. It took them six months to come up with a prototype. In 2020, the team received a SEED award. SEED is a United Nation’s created organization that helps support social and environmental entrepreneurship. They provide help with financing, technical support, business plans, networking, and national and international profiling (promotion) via a multitude of events.

Now to the bikes. To date the GBBI has trained locals including young men and women how to fabricate the bikes. Lest you were thinking this is a one-off endeavor, there are already all types of bikes on offer. Mountain bikes, road bikes, male, female, kids, and even tandem bikes. The first big plus for the bikes is that they solve a local and pressing problem. Indeed, mobility is a common, energy-intensive problem all around the world. This is a local solution solving a local problem using home-grown resources both in inputs and labor.

Now to the ecosystem. For every bamboo tree used in production, the GBBI plants 10 more saplings. This not only ensures a 100% renewable resource but is also done with the help of local farmers, further expanding the economic pie. The second plus is that bamboo is abundant in Ghana and is fast growing. Third, bamboo is referred to as a “carbon sink” for its better than average carbon dioxide absorption out of the atmosphere and into the ground. Last but equally important is impact on soil erosion. Planting all these bamboo helps stem soil erosion which is a real problem for Ghanaian farmers.

The bikes primary market is Ghana, but bikes are available worldwide via internet sales. After much digging it appears the local price is about $140. Online prices for the rest of us start at $280 for kids bikes and bikes and $350 for adult versions. I hope this idea catches on around the world. I see only pluses for both economics and the environment.