Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative, a non-governmental organisation that offers basic course and practical lessons on building bamboo bikes and frames as a way of encouraging entrepreneurship among the rural poor, has been honoured for its innovation.

It was also honoured for helping to improve the living standards of the underprivileged.

The NGO received recently a plaque at the 2012 World Business and Development Awards (WBDA) held at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June last month.

The awards ceremony coincided with the UN Conference on Sustainable Development.

It was organised by the International Business Leaders Forum, International Chamber of Commerce, the United Nations Development Programme in partnership with the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the UN Global Compact and also sponsored by Cemex.

A statement signed by Ms Bernice Dapaah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NGO and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Kumasi on Sunday said, the awards recognized innovative business models that deliver commercial success and also improve socio-economic and environmental conditions.

“The Awards demonstrate how companies can, through their core business activities help achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of reducing poverty, environmental degradation, as well as improve education and health conditions and gender equality by 2015”, it said.

The statement said the awards highlighted the critical role of the private sector in stimulating sustainable economic growth and development.**