Re Cycle Bikes to Africa, a UK-based charity organization, presented three racing bikes to the Ghana Cycling Federation (GCF) on Friday at the office of Village Bicycle Project at Sowutuom in Accra.
Mr. Shaaban Mohammed, General Secretary of the GCF, who received the bikes together with Rudolf Mensah and John Nartey of the National Recreation and Wellness Programme of the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, said the equipment will boost the preparations of the national team, the Golden Pedals, who are to represent Ghana at the Tour du Burkina Faso.
He expressed that the northern sector team and the female squad will get one each.
According to Mr. Mohammed, Cycling has many benefits, and the government must consider the health and sports benefits and award tax rebates to people who bring in bicycles from abroad.
Ms Charlotte Ward, Executive Director of Re Cycle UK, who presented the bikes, said they have supported other African countries with bicycles and accessories, and use bikes to visit countryside areas and promote tourism.
The bicycles distributed by the Village Bicycle Project trace back to a partnership agreement with VBP twenty years ago. Charlotte Ward said the relationship has grown steadily since then, with more than 100 shipping containers of bicycles sent from the UK to the Village Bicycle Project over that period, equivalent to over 50,000 bicycles delivered into Ghana.
Ward said her organisation’s core aim is to widen access to cycling as both a competitive pursuit and an everyday mode of transport. “We really hope this donation will inspire the younger generation to get into cycling,” she said, calling it “a huge step in cycling for Ghana.”
She added that the broader goal is to give more Ghanaians access to a low-cost, sustainable means of getting to work, school and market.
Recycle Bikes to Africa is really about transforming lives through bicycle reuse.” Charlotte Ward, Executive Director, Recycle Bikes to Africa
She credited the Village Bicycle Project’s community-based programmes, including school outreach and “learn to ride” initiatives, with extending the practical benefit of the donated bicycles well beyond competitive cycling.
She said the organisation’s work in Accra, the Northern Region and the Volta Region has shortened school journeys for children who previously walked long distances, allowing pupils to arrive at school less fatigued and better able to concentrate, while also freeing up time for household responsibilities after school.
Charlotte Ward was very happy to be in Ghana after meeting the Secretary of the GCF at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Marc Leeks also hoped to see many Ghanaians riding to make cycling popular.
Mr. Ebenezer Somiah, Country Director of Village Bicycle Project, a non-profit-making organisation that collects and distributes bicycles to students, sportsmen and farmers, appealed to the authorities to ease the taxation on the importation of bicycles to Ghana to encourage the sport and other means of transportation.
“Our partners are ready to ship more containers of bikes, but the problem is the duty, and we appeal to the government to look into it because cycling plays a role in development,” he noted.
Mr. John Nartey urged Ghanaians to stay fit by being active through walking or riding. He urged people to learn how to ride for leisure or sports.
By Sammy Heywood Okine
