These Waterbikes Are Keeping Education Afloat In Ghana

Bikes on roads are economical, environmentally friendly, and easier to repair and maintain than cars, but bikes that run on water are going to advance a whole other motive out here in Ghana.

Since August 2017, Ghanaian inventor Frank Darko had been working on water-bike prototypes and has already made successful test runs to make sure his floating vehicles can actually move on water. The Takoradi-based creative tested his handiwork in a shallow dam near his home, before going to sea with it. Friends and strangers were easily intrigued and keen to try out their first ride across the waves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1Ois0B9_5s

In the Volta, Ashanti, Western and Bring Ahafo regions, there are several communities where children have to cross water bodies to access education, due to the fact that their schools are kilometres away from their homes cut off by rivers, streams or lakes.

Frank Darko’s aim is to put a stop to the disincentive that obstructs school-going kids living in areas like his. The devastating effect of getting stranded and not being able to cross rivers, especially during flooding in his hometown, has triggered him to invent this solution for school children who cannot make it on the few canoes available to get to school.

The Takoradi Technical University graphic design student who had deferred his studies due to financial challenges and to focus on his inventions has been granted a full scholarship by the Vice Chancellor of Takoradi’s only technical university, Reverend Professor John Frank Eshun. The university head states that this move is to inspire entrepreneurial and innovative activity in the school and beyond.

Darko wants to help students get to school in areas affected by flooding

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.