Tag: Kantanka

Young Togolese builds 4×4 Car by Himself all from Scrap Materials

On By Dr. Y.In Great People, Great Science5 Comments
Sourou-Edjareyo Malazouwe with the prime minister Victoire Tomégah-Dogbé (Source: LaUneTogo.info)

A while back, I introduced you to the Kantanka: a 4×4 AWD Made in Ghana by Ghanaians for Ghanaians which was the brainchild of Dr. Kwadwo Safo, and whose work had been featured on the BBC, Forbes, and Al-Jazeera. Today, I would like to introduce you to a young Togolese inventor in Togo who made his own homemade 4×4 AWD with all recycled materials, all by himself in a year. We salute his creativity, and wish for more great inventions and sponsoring of the youth by our governments and private sectors. Africa needs her sons and daughters to partake in her development, and creativity should be supported. Excerpts below are from AfricaNews. Enjoy!

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A young Togolese inventor is making waves with his self-made 4X4 car, constructed using mostly recycled materials.

Sourou-Edjareyo Malazouwe, 25, is a self-taught engineer with a passion for sports cars. But as he could not afford to buy one himself, he decided his only option was to build one himself.

‘I finished secondary school in 2016 and after that, I started my own business, selling and repairing mobile phones and computers. It’s because of that that I could afford to build this car,’ he said.

Work got underway about a year ago in his workshop in the Forever district of the capital, Lomé, and the first model has been out on the road for some time now. The young inventor has named the car the ‘RAF-X Raptor’, a play on his own nickname, Raouf.

‘I used a lot of recycled parts. I paid for a few new ones. In this box you can see parts from Titan buses, from motorcycles, from cars, it depends. I get the parts from everywhere which is how I manage,’ he says.

Malazouwe says there are plenty of people who are impressed by the car and he has received several orders for one, …

In the meantime, he is the pride of Togo. In May, he met with the country’s Prime Minister, Victoire Tomégah-Dogbé Dogbé, who later tweeted that she was amazed and charmed by his genius.

‘I told him how proud we were and reiterated the government’s commitment to support him,’ she said, adding that her government was proud to help develop the enormous potential of Togo’s youth.

Meet the Kantanka: a 4×4 AWD Made in Ghana by Ghanaians for Ghanaians

On By Dr. Y.In Great Science8 Comments
Kantanka Cars (GhanaOnline)
Kantanka Cars (GhanaOnline)

I came across a video of the Kantanka, a 4×4 All-Wheel Drive made in Ghana by Ghanaians for Ghanaians, on BBC. The car is the brainchild of Dr. Kwadwo Safo, a Ghanaian who always dreamt of making cars and planes in Ghana. He wanted to address the local needs, and demonstrate that it was possible for Africans to design and engineer their own cars for their own roads. Move over Toyota, Honda, Ford, Mercedes, and meet the Kantanka. We do hope that these cars will be solicited by Ghanaians themselves, that they will meet the safety standard, and be a breath of fresh air adapted to their roads and needs. The car is engineless and “green”. The founder’s son, Kwadwo Safo Jr., said, “the non-engine vehicle does not rely on a combustion engine to move, but an electric motor powered by rechargeable batteries. The batteries can be recharged with solar energy or electricity. As you drive the car on the road, it converts the energy from the sun into mechanical energy which powers the car.”

Apart from the lights and tires, everything is done and assembled by local people. The police just bought a few vehicles. The big question will be: does it meet international safety standards? Will Ghanaians be sold by it? Read the article on Forbes and Al-Jazeera, and watch the video on BBC. Enjoy Ghana’s first car, made in Ghana by Ghanaians for Ghanaians!