Bamboo is a natural plant that grows with ease and is ideal for bikes because it’s lightweight, shock absorbent, and can consume 70 percent more CO2 than a normal forest.
Ferander, a social enterprise that began to provide young Ghanaians with employment opportunities, chose bamboo as the main material for their eco-friendly bikes.
The idea began in 2015, when one of the founders visited Uganda with friends and met Ronald who was 19 years old studying to become an electrician. Ronald explained that even though he had almost finished his training, there were virtually no work opportunities for him.
It was then that the founders decided to start employment projects in Africa and began a cooperative called African Bamboo Bikes. Because they are a cooperative, anyone who wants to create jobs for young Africans is welcome to join.
Currently, the bikes are handmade and assembled in a factory in Ghana, where the bikes industry is well-established. Youngsters there are given the opportunity to learn a craft alongside entrepreneurial skills and often earn enough for their whole family.
Ferander hopes to increase sales by between 1.000-3.000 bikes per year so that they can establish two new factories in Africa. 50 percent of each purchase will go towards future development projects in Africa.