( CNN ) It 's bespoke , beautifully formed , and changing the face of transport in Ghana . The bamboo bicycle is gaining traction in the country and one organization is riding this popularity wave to increase youth employment in the process . Booomers International is a social enterprise training rural Ghanaian communities in the art of bamboo bicycle manufacture to provide an economic freedom many of them have never experienced . `` We were looking at how we can engage the youth in the right areas into a meaningful venture , '' says company founder and CEO Kwabena Danso , who last year launched Booomers as a subsidiary enterprise of a development organization called Yonso project . `` [ I 've been ] engaging them in the bamboo bicycle business . '' Top gear . Bicycles made from bamboo have been around for more than a century but demand has only increased in recent years , in part due to the reintroduction of the concept by renowned bicycle designer Craig Calfee in 1995 . Calfee went on to form Bamboosero , a Californian company dedicated to increasing the uptake of bamboo bicycles , particularly in developing countries , and today a number of companies across Africa are seizing the opportunity to make use of this abundant , natural resource to create a boom in bicycling . It 's tensile strength and environmental sustainability make bamboo a highly desirable material . `` We do bamboo bicycles , bamboo bicycle stands and bicycle baskets for now , '' says Danso and their biking portfolio includes road , city , and mountain bikes in both male and female versions . `` Each bike is purely handmade ... once you get your bike nobody else in the world has it . '' Whilst there are bikes being crafted by other manufactures in Ghana , at the root of Booomers lies not only innovative design but a social conscience with climate change mitigation and rural poverty alleviation among their primary goals . Danso takes his rural youth teams through the entire manufacturing process -- from the harvesting of bamboo through to the final assembly of bespoke bicycles -- to ensure they 're equipped with a diverse skill set . Some apprentices have had the pleasure of being trained by Calfee himself . `` We managed to get him to come down to train people , '' says Danso . Overcoming hurdles . Danso knows the challenges of manufacturing in rural Ghana well , including low capital , high production costs and unreliable electricity sources . `` Sometimes you come to work for two days and there is no light , '' Danso says . `` That 's a really big problem to manufacturing in Africa . '' But despite such limitations he is determined for his bicycles to travel the globe . `` In the next five years we want to conquer the world , '' he concludes . His wish is for Boomers to become a resource not only for bicycles , but also furniture , household items and even houses made of bamboo . `` We want to make this place the point where you come and get everything from bamboo . '' More from African Start-Up . Bike tour gives taste of township life .
The bamboo bicycle is increasing in popularity across Ghana and Africa . Boomers International is a social enterprise creating bespoke bicycles whilst reducing youth unemployment . The bamboo bicycles are uniquely designed to each customer meaning there is no replica anywhere in the world . Bamboo Bikes