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Introduction
Craig Calfee had worked with the Earth Institute at Columbia University (EI) on a feasability study trip in June of 2007. EI continues to study the issues and how it can be integrated into their Millennium Village Program. With his own funding, Craig went back to Ghana in February to continue efforts to get bamboo bike building started. These bikes would be for local use although some may be sold to tourists. The purpose was to get Ghanaians started on building bikes and see what practical issues came up. He wanted to see how the private sector would take to it as a sustainable enterprise and see what credit mechanisms could be used to help people get started on owning these bikes. This is Craig’s journal on that trip.
Arriving in Accra
Arrived in Ghana with all luggage intact. The flight from Hong Kong to Dubai was uneventful although it was interesting to note the incredible diversity of the passengers.
David Peckham, the man behind Village Bicycle Project (VBP) welcomed me into the heat and humidity outside the terminal. We went directly to a hotel he had found so I could drop off the two big suitcases. This hotel was more expensive ($35/night) and not located conveniently but it had two air-conditioned rooms available: one for me and one for Arone (“pronounced “Erin”) to recuperate from our long flights. I had met Arone once at Interbike and she was very enthusiastic about coming to Ghana and helping out. She was one of several people who had approached me on this level. But she had spent time in rural Nicaragua, so would not be intimidated by the rougher conditions. She is also an excellent bike mechanic and journalist. I offered to pay her expenses while in Ghana if she would take care of the plane ticket. We would pick her up at the airport later, when the New York flight arrived.
After sitting down with David and going over how we can work together on the trip to the countryside next week, we went to the BARADEP (bamboo and rattan development project) offices to see if they would be ready for us to start training in two days. They were happy to see me and even made a poster with the bamboo bike we built there last time. BARADEP is part of the Ministry of Lands, Forests and Mines for the government of Ghana. David was impressed with them and he didn’t sense the problems he had with other government people with his project. We also inspected the sample bike I had brought from California last June. A farmer had been using it and really liked it – until he had an accident and broke the head tube off the bike. He had been carrying large loads of cassava and other produce with it. We would repair the bike later, as part of the trainings. We left with the plan to conduct the trainings on Thursday and Friday, planning to build as many bikes as possible.
That afternoon, we went to pick up Arone at the airport. She brought a borrowed video camera and started shooting right at the airport bar, where the three of us cooled off with some coffee for Arone and beer for David and me. David had been working in Ghana since 1999, coming once or twice a year for two month stretches. He spoke the local language, Twi, very well. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the subtleties of getting around Accra and doing business. We looked to him for all kinds of advice.
We went to David’s neighborhood and met Samson, one of David’s business partners, to buy a cel phone. Samson offered us a light dinner but he had to run off on an errand. We stopped at the preferred hotel nearby and were told to check back the next day.
Then it was off to meet with Ibrahim, the entrepreneur we met last time, who showed a lot of initiative and leadership skill. He had processed some bamboo with the split-preventing preservative that I had sent previously. This would be the bamboo we would use for the trainings. We just met at a restaurant and would go see the bamboo the next day.
Wednesday, we went to George Aidoo’s bike shop and picked up some wheels that would be used for fixturing the frames during the building process. George is one of David’s two business partners in Ghana. He and the other, Samson Ayine, receive the donated bikes, arrange transportation of the bikes to the countryside and conduct the trainings for the people buying the discounted bikes. This is essentially what Village Bicycle Project does: getting bikes to people at a price they can afford. The mandatory maintenance training ensures that the buyers keep them in good shape. They also do advanced trainings for bike mechanics. They offer tools at cost, allowing individuals to gain self employment at very low initial cost. This is how David, Samson and George have brought thousands of bikes to Ghana over the past 9 years. VBP a non-profit and David makes no salary from his work. He lives at very low cost when in Ghana and has a small income on a rental property he owns back in Idaho. We will observe his program in action at Abompe next week.
Building Bikes
George offered to bring us to Ibrahim’s in his car. We found Ibrahim’s house a ways off the main road and met with his “crew” of about 6 young men. His older brother, Solar, also lived there with his wife and three kids. Solar is a bike mechanic and missed out on the first training last June. The bamboo was ready but not quite the right diameters and only enough for two bikes. They had procured a fairly flat table and we started right in with the first step of tacking the frame together. George’s friend, Wisdom arrived soon after. He is also a bicycle mechanic and former bike racer. - one of the few in Ghana.
It was a little hectic, and we were crammed in a small shaded area, which turned out to be their outside dining area. We got it pretty far along before stopping for the night. George and Wisdom left after having reinforced one of the wheels with some bamboo I brought for the purpose. Solar’s wife cooked a fantastic dinner for us. Arone and I ate inside with Solar and Ibrahim in the comfortable living room while the crew ate outside.
We decided to continue with the second phase of tacking the bamboo together at the Baradep office at Achimota Forest. That way, I wouldn’t have to travel between the two groups. So we met the following morning and set up two tables for working on two bikes simultaneously. Things moved along well and Arone took the initiative to work with the three female staff of the Baradep office. Some interesting gender issues surfaced with the Baradep frame where the men wanted to do all the work, not letting the women get a chance to try. Arone made sure the women got a chance. Her experience teaching bicycle mechanics to women was appreciated at this point. Ibrahim’s crew made good progress and had their frame tacked and ready to wrap by the end of the day.
Friday, we went over safety and handling of epoxy. Then we started mixing the resin and hardener and demonstrating the wrapping technique. I had Ibrahim demonstrate some wrappings and soon, most people got the idea on how to do it. I took a short trip with the Baradep office manager to see where they had some bamboo growing. There was a grove accessible to the public where most of the cane was less than three years old. It was a species with very thick wall cane, probably too heavy for bicycle use but suitable to demonstrate the treatment with the chemical. We also went to their bamboo nursery and saw examples of Moso bamboo that was imported from China. The nursery did not have a manager, so some bamboo was going without water during the dry season, causing it to start dying off.
We returned to Baradep office and found there wasn’t going to be enough resin to make two frames. At least one mixture was left to sit while the epoxy cured too fast in the cup. It was a good lesson learned. The Baradep frame would have to wait until more epoxy arrived before finishing it. The resin on the first frame was a little slow to harden, so we did a demonstration on the new bamboo treating method. We used some of the thick walled bamboo that we harvested that morning. It is my hope that Baradep will take on the treatment of bamboo and sell it to other craftspeople working in bamboo. We stopped early for the day and would continue on Saturday. This gave us a chance to enjoy a Friday evening in Accra.
Most of the Baradep group was not able to work on Saturday but Ibrahim and his crew were able to make it. Arone and I left them to meet Suzanne, the Peace Corps volunteer who would be hosting us in Abompe next week. She was helping David organize a shipment of donated bikes to people that would attend classes on how to maintain them.. This is Village Bicycle Project’s work and we wanted to see it in action. Abompe is about 2 hours north of Accra, in a bamboo rich area. Ibrahim’s grandmother’s village is on the way there, so we decided to bring the bike that Ibrahim’s group was making to that village and leave it with Ibrahim’s uncle Asumani. The Baradep frame would have to wait until more epoxy was shipped to Ghana.
The meeting with Suzanne went well. She sounded enthusiastic about the prospects for bamboo bikes in Abompe. We would get a first hand look at it and see who might take it on. We decided to bring the repaired bike as an example of what we were hoping to do.
We went to the Accra bike market to buy the parts for the bike going to Adimadim (Ibrahim’s family village). On David’s advice, we decided to build it up with a gear changer. Even though we saw most multi-speed bikes deteriorating to single speed (because the shifting cables or derailleur were broken) I was convinced that the multi gear choice would make it more interesting. Wisdom joined us to help negotiate the best prices and select the best of the used parts.
We arrived back at the Achimota Forest to see how far things progressed. The bike was doing well but would need at least two full days to finish, paint and build up into a rideable bike. Ibriham would take the bike to his house and continue on Sunday and Monday. That would be Ibrahim’s deadline.
On Sunday, we went to the National Science Museum to see Wisdom’s wooden bike. Last June, A bike rider named Gabriel chased me down while I was riding around on the bamboo bike. He was very interested in the bike and talked about his uncle who had built a wooden bike that was now in the museum. Gabriel was in the first group last June but no one knew how to contact him since his cel phone number was disconnected. I never got a chance to see the bike last time. For awhile, I didn’t realize that Wisdom was Gabriel’s uncle.
The museum was closed but we could see the bike through the window. It was impressive, especially after hearing from Wisdom how he didn’t have enough money for transport to school – so he built his own bike. He entered it in a government sponsored contest and it won. That’s how it ended up in the museum.
On Monday, we spent some time catching up on email at the local internet café. The connection was slow and the keyboards worn out but the cost was low. Only a dollar for two hours. Cost for everything was low. The new hotel that David preferred was only $10 per night. It was just a room with a small television, a ceiling fan and a chair. The barely functioning bathroom was down the hall. The bars on the windows felt secure. There was no restaurant at the hotel, so we made a regular visit to the street vendors for breakfast. After eating egg sandwiches for a few mornings, we ventured into a few other things. One of our favorites was coco. A thick, sweet soup made from corn or millet and flavored with cardamom. It was sold in plastic bags and you ate it by biting a corner off and sucking it out. Or you could sit and have it in a bowl with some fried dough. Pure water was sold in sealed plastic bags as well. The government was just starting a plastic recycling effort to clean up the plastic litter.
We decided to drop in on Ibrahim a little later than we planned – just to give him some extra time to start assembling the parts on the bike. We took a taxi as far as we could remember and walked the rest of the way. It was dark by the time we got there and we were able to surprise him. The bike was still a bare frame and they were just starting to assemble it. The varnish was still a little tacky. Arone got right into it, teaching the guys how to do various assembly tasks. There were a lot of worn or broken parts that needed to be addressed. It took several hours to get the bike in rideable condition. I took it for the first test ride and found it to be solid. Everyone took turns riding it in the dark.
Most of the crew lived in the neighborhood near the hotel, so we all would take the Tro-Tro back to the neighborhood. A Tro-Tro is a mini-van that follows a route to various neighborhoods. It’s like a bus but very small and very crowded. Everyone assumed we would pay the transport fee but since we had not agreed to that beforehand, I refused. This was a point that I had to make with Ibrahim last June and so far, he had been very good about it. He agreed to borrow some money from me to pay the fare for his crew, who apparently had no cash at all. Ibrahim apologized for the assumptions of his crew and had warned them about this. They hadn’t saved some “small money” for transport (about $0.20 per ride). It has been difficult breaking through the mentality that the rich American is obligated to pay for everything - even when bringing free training for a new skill.
The bike was a great accomplishment for all involved. It is the first fully functional bamboo bike made in Africa by Africans. It has the treated bamboo and epoxy resin. Ibrahim and the crew wanted to show the bike at the big Ghana Independence Day celebration and parade. We were planning to bring it to Adimadim, where Ibrahim’s uncle farmed 5 acres. The bike was also not particularly attractive if you don’t understand it’s the first one. I argued that it would be better to show a tested and more refined version next year rather than risk making a negative impression. They agreed but I could see some disappointment in their faces.
Rural Ghana
We had arranged to borrow the bike I had originally made as a sample and have it delivered with the truckload of VBP bikes up to Abompe. Ibriham, Arone and I would take Tro-Tro’s to Adimadim with the recently completed bike, leave it there and continue on up to Abompe. I was nervous about the bike falling off the back of the Tro as it was tied on with some badly frayed thin rope. But it made it to the village and was well received.
We drank palm wine in celebration and also gave a bag of needed school supplies to the Headmistress of the local school. Arone was a bit overwhelmed by the children, who swarmed around her, asking for things.
We made it to Abompe just as a heavy thunderstorm finished pelting the area with raindrops enormous in size and quantity. It was the first rain in quite awhile. Suzanne met us at the house that a wealthy Ghanaian used as a vacation home. The owners donated the use of the house for Peace Corps activities for the local area. She called it the Posh Corps. Normally, Peace Corps accommodations are quite Spartan. The electricity was out and there was no running water due to a broken water pump. But it was spacious enough for Suzanne, David and the two VBP trainers (George and Abouje) and the three of us. We all enjoyed the lightning show that evening as the thunderstorm marched north.
The area around Abompe is dominated by a huge escarpment of sedimentary rock that runs for a few miles. It would be a climber’s paradise with the overhangs and cliff faces, but few climbers know about it. The area was at one time, heavily forested but now there are only a few of the big rainforest trees left among the cultivated cocoa, palm and papaya farms. Second growth forest and bamboo stands fill the remaining spaces.
The purpose for the visit to Abompe was to observe the VBP in action with their basic training for the discounted bike buyers as well as the advanced training for the “Repairers”. Ironically, the site for these trainings was held in the shade of the bamboo grove in front of the village chief’s house. We also showed the bamboo bike at the beginning of each of the 4 daily sessions and asked to meet with interested people after the training. We could have done a frame building training but didn’t have enough treated bamboo ready nor enough epoxy. But we found that people were very enthusiastic and several signed up to be contacted later when we returned with a training program.
VBP had success as well, selling all the bikes they brought. Quite a few people were disappointed that they were not able to buy a bike for $20 to $30. These were a mixed variety of bikes that were donated from the Washington DC area as well as some used British Mail bikes.
We explored the area on foot and on bikes in between the trainings. We also harvested some of the local bamboo as samples for Ibrahim to treat and dry for next time. The bamboo in the area has very thick walls and it took awhile to determine where on the canes to cut bike frame tubes from. The tips of the larger diameter canes had the thinner walls we were looking for. We also demonstrated the strength of the demo bike by delivering two 50 kilo cement bags to a man building a house. The local “strong rider” pedaled the bike and I followed with video camera. People were very impressed and the economic benefit was easily measured since most cement bags were delivered by taxi until the road ended. Then carried on the head down the footpath.
During the four days we were in Abompe, we spoke with a lot of people. Small crowds gathered whenever we stopped in the village or neighboring villages. The labor savings and use of the plentiful bamboo were the two most popular comments about the bike.
The idea of using local bamboo to make the bike was particularly interesting. The self sufficiency and value-adding aspect of the bamboo came up a few times in relation to the illegal felling of trees for lumber. People were painfully aware of the cutting and wished for some economic benefit from the bamboo so they wouldn’t have to cut the bigger trees to sell to the lumber market in Accra.
On a hike near Asadawase, we saw how the logging is done. The large tree is felled and a portable sawmill is carried in. It’s just a chainsaw with guide rollers. Three meter long beams are cut and carried one at a time on the head, often on very cursory bush paths. Strong young men earn a small amount for each beam carried out of the forest. It’s done quietly and out of sight as much as possible. At least they weren’t clearcutting.
That hike was interesting on a few other points. We had to get permission from the chief to go in the area. Suzanne explained (in the local language) that we were interested in possibly developing eco-tourism using locally made bamboo bikes to rent to tourists. She explained this in the center of the chief’s courtyard, with all the elders present and a certain amount of formality. Our proposal was agreeable and two guides were sent for. While we were waiting, we watched as disputes were settled through a series of questions by the chief. It was very similar to a modern court, complete with oaths, discussions in the judge’s chambers and copious writing of testimony.
The guides were a father and son team. The father, Mensah, was 78 years old. His son was in his 40’s and also an expert woodsman. We were warned that the hike would be hard and to bring plenty of water. It was a long, hot, beautiful climb up to the escarpment. There would have been waterfalls to see if it was rainy season. The rock formations were mesmerizing with tall trees growing next to the cliffs and vines hanging all over the place. We saw the largest tree in the area. It was the size of an old growth Redwood tree with great flying buttresses for support at the base. We didn’t see any animal life but could hear various birds and the occasional monkey.
Arone caught Malaria, even though she was on the weekly pill that is supposed to prevent it. I was on the more expensive daily pill and didn’t get it. Hard to tell if that made the difference as there is more of the drug resistant Malaria out there. Luckily, Suzanne had a Peace Corps issued Malaria kit with good medicine. It’s still a very unpleasant fever and strange body pains - but not lethal with the right medicine.
Suzanne had been in discussions with a former Peace Corps Volunteer who was planning to lead a group of ten people from the UK on a bicycle tour of the area. They wanted to buy bikes from VBP and leave them behind as a donation. We discussed the idea of providing locally made bamboo bikes for them. It would be a great jump start for a local builder. They were planning on doing the tour in December, so there was plenty of time.
Back to the City
On Saturday, Arone went back to Accra in George’s car while Ibriham and I rode the demo bike out to the main road. There we took a Tro-Tro with the demo bike lashed on the back. The driver got a ticket because he stopped for us in a no stopping zone right across from the police station. Then he proceeded to drive fast and not very safe for the next hour. In a traffic jam, he hit the tail light of another Tro-Tro. At the next opportunity to stop (and pick up yet even more than the 18 passengers in the van) the driver of the Tro we hit got into a heated argument with our driver over the broken tail light. They started a fistfight, right on the road with trucks whizzing by. A policeman was called and the argument settled. It took a long time and it extended a 2 hour ride to almost 4. In addition to all the practical experience gained on this trip to Abompe, we had a good idea of how conflicts are resolved.
On Sunday, Arone and I went to the Cultural Center to buy some souvenirs. Ibrahim worked there and had ridden the demo bike from his home. Quite a few of his friends and associates test rode it and enthused about the possibilities. He would later bring it back to Baradep, complete with the reinforced rear wheel for further testing by the farmer.
While having a soda in the café there, some people who worked for USAID, the big American aid organization asked about the bike. They read about it previously in Outside Magazine and were surprised to see it there. We chatted about development styles and they were supportive of my grassroots approach to finding out how the idea could be implemented. They told me of a program where Africans can apply for grants to start businesses. They seemed to think the bamboo bike would be a great fit.
We also met a Jamaican-American flight attendant named Chiedza, who would be on the same flight I was taking to New York the following day. She also ran a clothing company called Afrodesiac Worldwide out of New York. She buys Ghanaian fabric and has modern clothing designs made from it. Her Ghanaian companion, Joshua, was also a friend of Ibrahim’s. They were planning to go to a trade fair for African produced items. We thought it would be interesting, so the four of us shared a cab to see it. The fair was held in a facility that reminded me of a typical American County Fair site. There were two indoor areas and stalls outside as well. There was also an area for permanent vendors. These sold many of the same souvenirs we saw at the Cultural Center. We found out that most of the souvenirs come from small factories in Kumasi or other towns up north. Some were artificially aged to look like antiques. But there were a few that showed original works and many people offered the ability to do custom work. Ibrahim does this at the Cultural Center when he’s not busy getting tourists to buy production souvenirs from his stall.
Inside the trade fair were quite a few companies showing their capabilities. Many were clothing and personal care products but there were a few that manufactured things. The sole Ghanaian sock factory was represented as well as the company that rolls aluminum plate to sell to the cookware companies who then stamp out pots and pans. There were a few roofing material companies and wood furniture factories as well. One standout was a German company that sold German ironworking tools. They sold the tools direct from the trade show, in cash. They had advertised on TV the week prior and had people coming to Accra, ready to take delivery. These were hand tools that used big levers to bend and shape hot iron for fences and gates. They had been doing this marketing and sales model for many years all over the developing world.
The Future
We celebrated the end of the trip at a brand new restaurant/nightclub in an upscale neighborhood. Called the Roxbury, the Lebanese owners spent a lot of money making it a very pleasant and modern establishment. They had officially opened two nights ago. Chiedza took us there because the food was great. Ibrahim and Wisdom joined us there as well. We talked about plans for the future and what the possibilities were. If the UK tour group materialized, that would be a great start. Ibrahim could get started right away with harvesting and treating bamboo. Wisdom could do the same - perhaps working with Baradep on that part. I could send epoxy and other materials in a VBP container loading in April. George could distribute them as a side job, perhaps conducting a frame building training in Abompe as well. I could return and check on the frames, bringing new parts for the tour bikes and making sure they were assembled correctly. By then, we would have a good idea about the cost of the locally made frames and begin to find the best way to sell them to the local population.
It was a very productive trip and there is a lot of follow-up work to be done. Some fundraising is needed to help defray travel costs and finance the purchase of epoxy, bike parts and other items. Frame builders will need help setting up shop and a supply chain needs to be established. But it looks like we have all the parts coming together and no major hurdles. Everyone we spoke with about the idea was enthusiastic and supportive. If all continues as it has in Ghana, we will be able to bring this idea to other, more challenging places.
Craig Calfee
