Every morning, Bukari Rahinatu used to ride through clouds of exhaust on her way to work in Ghana’s northeast town bordering Burkina Faso and Togo.

The 25-year-old graduate from the University of Education, Winneba, says the smoke from fuel-powered motorbikes became part of daily life in the busy northern town. By the time she arrived at work, she often felt irritated and uncomfortable.

 “Sometimes I would cough after riding for a long time,” Rahinatu says. “You could smell the smoke everywhere.”

That changed when she switched to an electric bike.

“Now I don’t inhale the smoke anymore,” she says with a smile. “The ride is quieter, and I feel better.”

Rahinatu is part of a small but growing shift in Bawku, where electric bikes are gradually changing how people experience their daily journeys.

The change did not come through any formal government policy. After years of tribal conflict in the area, authorities imposed security restrictions on petrol-fueled motorbikes, which were widely seen as facilitating fast-moving attacks.

But without the bikes, daily life for traders, students, and workers became impossible. More and more people started turning to e-bikes, which were not banned, as an alternative means of transport.

At the centre of the shift is Hakeem Girma, a teacher and CEO of M. Sniff Business Hub, who began importing electric bikes into Bawku in 2023 after he saw a business opportunity in the disruptions caused by the motorbike ban.

Having seen electric bikes during trips to China, Girma says he believed they could provide residents with a practical and affordable way to move around. As transport challenges worsened, demand for the bikes grew.

The shift has happened quietly over time. E-bikes have begun to reshape local mobility. Residents who have switched to electric bikes say daily travel now feels noticeably different. Many describe quieter rides, easier breathing and evenings that no longer end with coughing, chest discomfort or exhaustion.

Although no formal air-quality studies have been carried out in Bawku, riders say the change is already being felt in their bodies, homes and everyday lives.

Girma says the business is now about more than profit. “My goal is not just to sell bikes. I want to improve the health of our town.”

He says he is pleased to see changes for parents who once struggled to take their children to school without passing through heavy smoke. “Now children walk in cleaner air.”

Trader, Basheru Shafawu Kazusa, says she is already noticing a difference. “The electric bike allows me to move freely, and I feel healthier already.”

Experts say there is no doubt that the change is bringing important health benefits for people in Bawku. Air pollution contributes to an estimated seven million deaths globally each year, according to the World Health Organisation.

Outdoor pollution is linked to rising heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and respiratory illnesses. 32,000 Ghanaians died prematurely because of air pollution in 2003, according to the most recent State of the Air Report.

Transport remains one of Ghana’s major sources of pollution, with older motorcycle engines contributing significantly to poor air quality.

“Motorbikes release harmful gases like carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons,” explains Dr Godwin Kafui Ayetor, a clean transport researcher at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. “These pollutants enter the lungs and bloodstream, increasing the risk of serious diseases. Electric bikes, powered by batteries, produce none of these gases.”

Health experts say e-vehicles are an essential part of driving better health outcomes in Ghana and reducing the nation’s healthcare bill.

“In the short term, people may experience coughing, headaches, dizziness and throat irritation,” says Dr Napoleon Bellua Sam, an epidemiologist at the University for Development Studies. “Over time, fine particles from the smoke can enter the lungs and bloodstream, increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke and lung cancer.”

Dr Sam says children, pregnant women and older people are especially vulnerable. “Children’s lungs are still developing, so exposure can increase asthma risk and affect lung growth.”

He says pregnant women exposed to heavy pollution may face increased risks of premature birth and low birth weight, while older people are more vulnerable to heart and lung diseases.

Petrol-powered motorcycles are widely used across Ghana, especially in smaller towns and rural communities where they serve as a major form of transport. They are valued for their ability to move through traffic and reach areas where cars may struggle. In some regions, they account for 90 percent of all registered vehicles.

Across Africa, motorcycle use has grown rapidly. By 2022, the continent had an estimated 27 million registered motorcycles, up from about five million a decade earlier.

Ghana’s government has identified electric vehicles as part of the country’s future transport system. In 2023, the Ghanaian government launched a National Electric Vehicle Policy, and the 2024 budget waived import duties on EVs for public transport for eight years. The government aims to end the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2045.

But the policy's reach has limits. Smaller operators and grassroots adopters, the kind driving the shift in places like Bawku, do not qualify for these incentives, which target certified assemblers and public transport fleets.

For residents in Bawku, this accidental transport revolution has brought a welcome change.

“This change isn’t just about transport,” says Usman Sherif, a technician. “Cleaner transport means healthier communities.”

For many residents, the appeal of electric bikes also lies in lower transport costs. Although the bikes cost more to buy than fuel-powered motorbikes, riders say they are cheaper to operate because they do not require petrol.

There are no public charging stations in the town yet, and people have to rely on a sometimes unreliable electricity supply at home to charge the bikes, but Girma says a full overnight charge can cost less than GHC5.00 and last throughout the day.

“Many traders and workers can now move around town after charging overnight at home,” he says. “They spend far less money than they used to spend on fuel.”

Girma says the benefits outweigh the challenges and hopes more towns in Ghana will follow Bakwu’s lead.

For Rahinatu, there is no turning back. “I will continue using my electric bike,” she says. “I feel healthier, and I no longer end my day coughing from smoke.”

-

This story was produced in collaboration with New Narratives as part of the Clean Air Reporting Project. Funding was provided by the Clean Air Fund, which had no say in the story’s content.