International Programs Director Report

David Branigan’s January 2010 visit to Ghana

For two weeks in January 2010, I conducted a site visit to Ability Bikes and Village Bicycle Project in Ghana. The purpose of the visit was to gather information about the ongoing operations of the projects, to strengthen the BNB relationship with partners on the ground, and as appropriate to offer technical assistance. The visit was highly productive and extremely successful.

For the first two days, I spent time with Village Bicycle Project founder David Peckham assessing current VBP operations, discussing the logistics of VBP expansion into Sierra Leone, identifying methods of advocating at the national level in African countries for lower importation duties on bicycles and toward higher prioritization of bicycles in transportation policy, agreeing to combine resources on a large tool purchase directly from Taiwan to equip BNB projects with larger quantities of high quality tools, and sharing ideas on project development and effective project models.

I then spent nine days with Ability Bikes in Koforidua. Since August 2009, Ability Bikes Cooperative has operated independently, without on-the-ground supervision by Bikes Not Bombs. The physically challenged worker-owners effectively maintained operations, and independently organized the clearing of a container of bicycles from Bikes Not Bombs in October 2009. The Ability Bikes workers proudly shared their accomplishments with me.

The primary purpose of my visit was to technically assist the workers with their end-of-year accounting, to support them in producing accurate financial statements and to guide them through their first annual cooperative meeting. I pored through the cashbook and payroll, helped administrators Maud and Torsutsey to define the appropriate accounts and to effectively compile financial data – crosschecked from the source documents – that illustrates the 2009 financial activity of Ability Bikes. We were able to then identify trends in cash flow, calculate the cash value of a container of bikes and parts, and compare this to the sales and operating expenses, coming out with a year-end net profit of approximately $3,300. This is a significant amount of money in Koforidua where professionals tend to earn about $50 per month.

The workers and I then went on a business retreat to the beach to hold the annual meeting, where the ocean and massive wooden fishing boats greeted us with calming presence – a perfect place to meet as a cooperative, be receptive to each other, and make collective decisions. The meeting proceeded with an assessment of the previous year’s business operations, and a detailed explanation of the 2009 accounts. The process of share distribution was defined and discussed at length. The workers agreed to dedicate 40% of the net profit to the business account, 30% to the worker accounts (to be distributed to each worker based on percentages of labor contribution), and the final 30% to a fund restricted for worker education. This fund could lead to accounting and computer training for the administrators, and welding and English classes for the mechanics. By supporting the workers to develop themselves, Ability Bikes Cooperative will reap incredible benefits, having an increasingly skilled workforce. I continued to meet with the workers to finalize bylaws, and other interpersonal cooperative issues.

In the planning meetings, Ability Bikes assessed the production and marketing needs for 2010. It has become clear that if Ability Bikes is going to increase its profit and customer-base, it must increase production! Building-up more bikes will ensure a more diverse array of bikes on display, which will draw more customers and enable Ability Bikes to generate the highest value per bike. The business has been compelled to wholesale nearly 50% of the bicycles per container in order to generate quick money to make large payments for their rent deposit or for shipping and clearing costs, preventing Ability Bikes from generating the full potential cash value of goods in each container. With a focus on selling bikes individually at retail prices, Ability Bikes could dramatically increase income. It is the goal of Bikes Not Bombs to offer the necessary support to Ability Bikes in 2010 to help the business enter a more regular phase of retail operations that relies less on wholesaling bikes. This can be accomplished through the expansion of the Ability Bikes storage and workshop space, the hiring of additional physically challenged mechanics, the consequent increase in production and a major marketing campaign that will include more bikes on display, more signage in Koforidua, radio advertisements and media events. 2010 will be an exciting year for the business, and will present the opportunity for Ability Bikes Cooperative to achieve financial sustainability.

Looking into the future, Ability Bikes is considering the possibility of working with other physically challenged people in the Koforidua area and also some from rural areas around Koforidua to set up satellite bike sales locations. This could increase sales and begin to provide greater access to bicycles for low-income people in rural areas. There may also be the opportunity for collaboration with micro-credit lending agencies to assist these low-income people to purchase the bicycles. Additionally, Ability Bikes has agreed to sell and rent bamboo bikes that are being produced in Ghana through the efforts of Bamboosero, the international component of Calfee Designs. This is a great opportunity to help market bamboo bikes to Ghanaians and to tourists and to support the efforts of Bamboosero in developing this progressive technology in Ghana.

Finally, when asked, “what do you want to do next?,” the workers of Ability Bikes said that they want to be able to ride bikes like able-bodied people, and since they can’t use their legs, they will use their arms. Ability Bikes wants to fabricate hand-tricycles for physically challenged people to increase their mobility with wheels and a drive train. I told them – “if you are serious about it, lets work to make it happen.” The next step in 2010 will be welding training for the mechanics.

After leaving Ability Bikes, I traveled down to Dodowa to visit Jason Finch, an independent field-worker receiving support from Re-Cycle, the UK-based bicycle recycling/international development organization. Jason is working with a local vocational training center and over the next year will be retrofitting a container bike shop, sharing skills, and building more relationships in the ever-expanding network of bicycle development work.

I’ve successfully accomplished my goals on this recent visit to Ghana, have gained many more ideas, built more relationships, and am now emboldened by this experience to re-double BNB International Programs efforts here in Boston. Thanks to everyone for your ongoing support of Bikes Not Bombs!

David Branigan
International Programs Director
Bikes Not Bombs