Meet the Ghanaian entrepreneur who turns discarded car tyres into furniture

Jeffrey Kwabena Yeboah is a young entrepreneur who makes coffee tables, arms chairs and other types of furniture from recycled tyres which he collects from landfills sites and second-hand dealers. He uses glass, fabric and coloured ropes to produce his designs.

According to him, the idea of interior deco was nurtured when he entered the University of Ghana around 2014-2015.

He said during that time things were very tough for him because he needed to pay his school fees and also take care of himself but he was not getting the needed help from his family.

“I realised that all the guys on campus wanted to keep their room nice to be able to attract the ladies so I decided to create a concept for rooms by way of wallpapers, paintings and stickers among others,” he said.

Yeboah indicated that his work grew on campus among his colleagues and the demand kept him busy.

He said the idea of making tables came when a client he met wanted a table which is different from what is already in the market.

After roaming the streets of Accra, Yeboah could not get the exact table that his client needed until he saw that some people were burning car tyres at Dzorwulu junction in Accra. Then he got the idea of making a table from car tyres.



Some tables made out of car tyres

He observed that the only means by which car tyres are disposed off in Ghana is through burning, but most people do not know the harmful effects of the practice.

He told Al Jazeera that he feels he is part of a problem-solving community.

“I am taking car tyres off the streets, I am taking car tyres from gutters, I am stopping car tyres from being burnt and I am stopping car tyres from generating mosquitoes.”

Jeffrey Kwabena Yeboah is currently a final year economics student at the University of Ghana, Legon.

He started his business five years ago and currently employs two workers. He also trains aspiring furniture entrepreneurs.

Many of his clients order custom-made designs or select them from his furniture catalogue. His prices vary from GHC200 to GHC1200 or $30 to $250 per piece.

Yeboah's market is mostly online; he sells his products on his social media handle 'Ripples Interior Decor'. He aims at promoting recycling and educating people about waste management.

A client of Jeff’s, Rukiyetu Abubakari said she patronizes Jeff’s product because it is locally made.

“The only exciting part of it is that it’s made in Ghana and I want to buy it and promote our products,” she said.