MAN, 28, BUILDS CAR IN 3 MONTHS
In 1886, a German mechanical engineer born November 25, 1844 and named Karl Friedrich Benz or Karl Benz for short applied for a patent (birth c Kubi ertificate) for his automobile - the world’s first practical automobile to be powered by an internal combustion engine.
Since then, others have also created and are still creating automobiles in some parts of the world ie; China, United States, Japan, India, South Korea, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Thailand and some African countries.
The African countries manufacturing automobiles are Birkin Cars (South Africa); Innoson Motors (Nigeria); Kantanka Cars (Ghana); Kiira Motors Corporation (Uganda); Laraki (Morocco); and Mobius Motors (Kenya); Wallyscar (Tunisia)
Here in Africa, there's a new ‘kid on the block” also from Ghana named Emmanuel Geraldo. Emmanuel Geraldo hails from the Volta Region but has lived all his life in Accra, the nation's capital.
A motor mechanic by profession, Emmanuel is the only male child among his siblings. He could not complete his Junior High School (JHS) education due to financial difficulties and so was forced to venture into mechanic engineering where he learnt how to use his talent to fix and/or repair some simple vehicles (bicycles and motorbikes mainly). This allowed him get some funds to take care of and support his sisters.
According to him, he did not undergo any special training in his “fixing” electronic vehicles, but claims it is a God-given talent he discovered after spending so much money fixing his scooter bike he rode to school.
After much spending, he decided to fix it himself since he keenly observed how his scooter was fixed anytime he sent it for repairs after it had developed a fault.
He tried fixing it himself one day and it worked. That was the beginning of love affair with fixing of vehicles. He was only 17 years at the time.
Aside from the bicycle and motor bikes, Emmanuel is also able to fix or repair generators, mowers and even power plants. He has been able to build his own public address system which is managed by his employees to generate some funds for himself and family.
ABOUT HIS CAR
“In the early days of September 2022, the creation of a car, came to mind” says Emmanuel. He sold his five bikes and three scooters to raise the needed funds to acquire the engine, metals, hobs,shocks and other parts for this car.
Emmanuel had been able to assemble and create his own car and named it Z 1 (Zion 1) golf 3 engine with 0.8 as it's size. All that Emmanuel could not do, he consulted from his father who is a professional welder and the rest, he learnt from the internet.
After acquiring all that he needed to build his own car, Emma began work on his project in within a space of three months, he had finished manufacturing his own car.
“There were several attempts before this car could finally get onto the street. After fixing, either the steer was not functioning or other parts would not function well, until I dismantled them again to fix the issue. Some parts of the car, I had to use huge amounts of money on them, since they break if not well fixed."
This car has been used so many times on the streets of Accra and also been driven to Ada without encountering any problem but the car is yet to be glassed and sprayed then it can properly go through the processes for it to be officially registered and accepted but until then, it will be illegal to be using this on the streets of Ghana.
“I paid a visit to the Kantanka showroom and they were happy to see this. I had a lot of people discouraging me from doing this. Some even said I should use the money for something profitable, while others also laughed at me but giving up was never an option", he shared.
This is the dream of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, that “the African or black man will be able to manage his own affairs”, by depending on themselves to grow the continent and not to always depend on the white man even for things we can produce.
There is no future coming again. The future is here and now; and the youth of Africa must rise and take the future in their hands and shape it as they'd I
want it to be. For there will be no one to do for them as they will want it.
Supporting the likes of Emmanuel Geraldo, and grooming more talents like him, will be the revolution Africa and Ghana needs in order to join the big African names like Kantanka cars, Kiira motors, Innoson Motors etc.