Our partnership with Afribike in South Africa has been the first international project for XAccess. In 1999, the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy connected us with Afribike, a Johannesburg-based nonprofit focused on cycling advocacy and development in Africa. XAccess has assisted Afribike in developing an ExtraBike program.

At the Afribike fabrication facility, we showed Afribike engineers how to weld ExtraBikes, out of locally available supplies, and with basic tools. Afribike now sells the ExtraBikes to South Africans, and through its web site, www.afribike.org.

Afribike workers have now used their ExtraBikes to take schoolchildren to school as a side business.

The efforts of Afribike and its partners are paying off. At a speech in October, 2000, South Africa's Transport Minister Dullah Oman announced "The time has come to promote bicycle transport as a strategic solution." In addition, British Trade Minister Richard Caborn toured the AfriBike fabrication facility on a visit to shipment of the 2000th Royal Mail bicycle from England's Re-Cycle.

The Afribike Team in front of their workshop, with an Xtrabike in the foreground.

Afribike master mechanic Sam shows XAccess founder Ross Evans an Xtrabike prototype.

Sam kneels to examine a completed Xtrabike, complete with Afribike branding.