Developing a Business Plan for a Bamboo Bike Venture in Kisumu, Kenya

The Millennium Cities Initiative (MCI), an urban counterpart to the Millennium Villages Project of Columbia University’s Earth Institute, was established to assist selected mid-sized cities across Sub-Saharan Africa in their efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).  Kisumu has a large fleet of bicycle taxis (about 15,000) used for the transport of people and goods.  Since they can carry much heavier cargo, bamboo bikes could possibly replace large parts of the existing fleet.  The objective of the workshop was to assess the feasibility of initiating a bamboo bicycle production facility in Kisumu, Kenya.