Bamboo Labs is a social enterprise in Ethiopia that is contributing to sustainable and accessible mobility in Addis Ababa. As a part of the manufacturing of processed products, Bamboo seems to be a valuable asset for Bamboo labs to explore their creativity in producing unordinary finished products such as bicycles and wheelchairs. Having these items transformed into a sustainable product both environmentally and financially is a huge value added to the future of mobility in the country.
Abel Hailegiorgis is the founder of Bamboo labs who designed the bicycles and wheelchairs made out of Bamboo. He has worked and gained valuable experience at the Bamboo Bike Club in Munich. Abel’s vision to be a part of the change for sustainable mobility in the country is highly appreciated and recognized by the UN’s Global Green Growth Institute through the Green Mobility Award.
Bamboo Labs intend to capitalize on the huge supply of bamboo to transform the transportation modes into using highly sustainable products. They are providing these products to the local market. Bamboo is a highly renewable plant which is a great advantage for Bamboo Labs as they would like to expand the business into exporting it in the future.
Bamboo is scarce but one of the least utilized plants in Ethiopia. It is estimated that Ethiopia makes up about 70% of African bamboo resources. It is readily available to be used and manufactured into items that can be useful in our daily lives. Bamboos can be produced into a variety of items like furniture, mats, toothpicks, flooring, and the likes. Although the industry could exponentially grow, Bamboo seems to be the untapped natural resource in the country. We are happy to see Bamboo Labs take the initiative to utilize this asset as a whole new product that is highly useful for our community.
