With a bold vision to be recognised internationally as an institution that imagines and influences the future and building on its affiliation and continues capacity building from the World Intellectual Property Organisation-Green Project(WIPO-Green),the Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative has implemented a creative program to help fulfill that vision.
The Ghana-Italy Bamboo Bike Technology Transfer Exchange Program a collaborative project developed jointly by the Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative and Passi da Ciclope an Italian based organisation involved in youth development trained young people in Italy in the use of bamboo to manufacture bamboo bicycles.
In an interview with the the Head of Production of Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative Mr Amos Agyapong who facilitated the training in Italy said the project which was sponsored by Agenzia Regionale per la Tecnologia e l’Innovazione-ARTI trained young people in Italy in the use of bamboo to manufacture bicycles.
He said beneficiaries also had the opportunity to develop new skills that they shared with the Italian community.A benchmark of Italian and Ghanaian pratices are also been developed to be made available to the entire technology transfer community.
According to Amos Agyapong, the invitation extended to his organisation by Passi da Ciclope to facilitate the transfer of technology to prospective bamboo bike builders in Italy came as no surprise to him as the bamboo bike market is still growing and it is growing at a faster rate in its own niche market.
With the wind of global warming and climate change issues blowing all over the world, coupled with increasing cost of steel and aluminium, concern for higher fuel prices, the environment and increasing efforts in bicycle advocacy, bicycle ridership has grown over the last few years globally and bicycle enthusiasts all over the world are gradually eyeing bamboo bikes.