Winnifred Selby

BY Zodwa Kumalo-Valentine

In terms of the 2014 Human Development Index, the summary measure for assessing long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human development: a long life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living, Ghana ranks 138 out of 187.

For the young Winnifred Selby, who began petty trading at an early age to supplement her school fees, transforming her life story into a success hasn’t been easy.

Despite the challenges, at just 19, Selby is co-founder of Afrocentric Bamboo, a company that designs and produces durable, affordable and sustainably built bamboo bicycles.

The success of this growing business, which turned over almost US$320 000 in 2013, earned Selby a spot as a finalist at the 2014 Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards.

‘I see entrepreneurship as a calling and not a last resort for those struggling to find employment in the formal sector,” she says.

As a member of the Global Shapers community, a World Economic Forum initiative, and a 2014 Set Africa Fellow, Selby is committed to the economic empowerment of young women in her community.

“I wanted to position Afrocentric Bamboo Limited as the number one bamboo bike manufacturer and exporter in Africa, creating employment opportunities for hundreds of young women from deprived communities while at the same time going into large scale commercial bamboo plantation as a means of creating exporting opportunities to earn foreign exchange for the country,” she recently told ELLE.

Images: Supplied