Velafrica’s Impact Report 2025 is here! 🚲
Highlights in 2025
- Velafrica collects around 46,500 bicycles in Switzerland and Germany.
- 38 processing partners process the bicycles – 28 work integration enterprises and 10 correctional facilities.
- 27,773 refurbished bicycles packed into 62 shipping containers leave Switzerland and Germany.
- More than 38,000 spare parts are obtained from bicycles that can could not be repaired.
- Velafrica supplies 9 partner companies in Africa – they each receive between 421 and 5,553 bicycles.
- More than 2,000 school children receive a subsidized bicycle, 65 % of them are girls.
- 251 people complete a vocational training program in bicycle mechanics with Velafrica’s partner companies in Africa.
Co-Director’s Report
Dear readers,
Where should I start? So much has happened over the past year. In the impact report, you will learn about some of the stories, people and statistics. This is why I am limiting myself to just one number and one anecdote in this editorial.
The number I am truly proud of is 27,773. This is how many bicycles Velafrica exported to Africa in 2025. It is the highest number ever recorded in a single year, thanks primarily to Velafrica’s expansion in Germany. The bicycles from Germany go almost exclusively to our new partner company, Green Economies Made Simple (GEMS) in Malawi, which has quickly become an important and reliable partner.
The anecdote I would like to share is my guest appearance at Zurich’s packed Hallenstadion during the graduation ceremony for commercial apprentices in the Canton of Zurich. This is an example of the huge interest that Velafrica’s circular approach has generated. After their initial use, our bicycles are repaired at social institutions in Switzerland and Germany, given a second life in Africa, and then repaired again as needed by trained bicycle mechanics on site. This model is gaining broader and increasingly positive recognition in vocational training, integration work, development cooperation and among circular economy professionals.
While such successes bring us joy and give us strength, we too are not immune to current economic and geopolitical developments. Political instability in Burkina Faso, Tanzania and Madagascar is making our work considerably more difficult, for example due to longer and more expensive deliveries or unstable currencies. We are counteracting this by staying in close contact with our local partners and, when necessary, jointly adjusting routes and projects as well as implementing safety measures for our staff.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks for your trust in us and your valuable support in the form of bicycle donations, monetary donations, volunteer work, and much more! On behalf of the entire Velafrica team, I would also like to thank our partner organizations involved in the collection, processing and distribution of bicycles in Switzerland, Germany, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Malawi, Ghana, Gambia, and Ivory Coast. It is only thanks to all of you that we can pursue our vision of a world in which everyone can benefit from bicycle mobility to improve their living conditions.
I look forward to your continued support in 2026.
With kind regards
Michel Ducommun
Co-Director Velafrica
