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Bamboo Bikes

Do you like cycling? How would you like to pump the pedals of a bicycle that has parts made of bamboo? Winifred Selby is a Ghanaian youth (she is actually 19 year old) and the co-founder of a social enterpreneural venture that produces bikes made of bamboo. No, the wheels are not of bamboo, so they are perfectly safe, unless you do not do your cycling on land. For the benefit of those city lads and ladies who have probably never seen a bamboo (no offense meant here), the bamboo wood is pretty tough and durable. In places where they are available, builders use them to support storied structures and roofs. Selby and her colleagues, Bernice Dapaah and Kwame Kyei established the bamboo bike initiative in 2009 with the aim of providing affordable transportation for the poor, and to tackle the issue of unemployment among Ghana's youths and women, taking advantage of raw bamboo materials available in Ghana.
       Since 2009, the enterprise which is youth-based has created employment for more youths and served the transportation problem it set out to solve. It is also an export commodity. The bamboo bike initiative has made giant strides yet it holds loads more potentials. Selby has won many international awards for this innovative idea. That is it really, it started with an idea, one that seemed preposterous, and the boldness to carry on.
      Africa is rich in resources and raw materials. The youths are not poor either. We hold talents, skills and ideas. Maybe if we are more daring like Selby, taking to task our minds, and being brave enough to dive into seemingly cold waters, we might transform our continent. I do not think producing cars with wooden bodies will be a good idea though, if anyone's thinking of that. But what do I know, even that might turn out a success.
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