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Do you see where I am seated?

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This is what we bring you on this[br]episode of R&D Africa on AAU TV.

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The spotlight has been put on the young[br]Lawrence Adjei, who has been able to make

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this electronic motorcycle[br]from dead laptop batteries.

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Stay tuned.

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We'll bring you more.

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In an era where environmental protection,[br]fitness and green travel are increasingly

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being valued and[br]practiced by people, what

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comes to mind when[br]transportation that allows

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you to avoid road traffic[br]congestion, be green

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and environmentally[br]friendly is mentioned.

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Electric bicycles or e-bikes[br]are equipped with electric

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devices activated to[br]assist or replace peddling.

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They provide a number of benefits.

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They are fuel[br]efficient, faster, reduces

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traffic congestion and[br]are mostly non-pollutant.

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Inventors mainly rely on batteries such as[br]lithium-ion, nickel-cadmium, lithium-cobalt

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batteries, lead acid, nickel-metal[br]hydrate, lithium-manganese

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and lithium-ion polymer[br]batteries as the accessories.

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Interestingly, a young[br]Ghanaian, Lawrence Adjei

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has added to the innovations[br]in the electric bike industry.

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He uses sports laptop[br]batteries, which he

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purchases from scrap yards and computer[br]shops in Accra to make his unique e-bikes.

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He is known to be the[br]first Ghanaian to make

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electric bicycles from sports[br]laptop batteries and he is self-taught.

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I stay close to Lawrence and[br]I happen to be his co-helper.

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This is not my first time riding.

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I've been riding for two years now.

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The experience is different.

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I can't even compare[br]because riding a normal

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bicycle is full of pain[br]and then you actually

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admire the kind of[br]kilometers you need to go.

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So this is really different compared[br]to the ones I have ever used.

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This has three gears[br]and then the others don't.

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It has a brake which charges the battery[br]back when applying, the others don't have.

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It has a USB spot which[br]you can charge your phone

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or use a USB light which[br]the others don't have.

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And then it also has a bell,[br]the others don't have a bell.

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And then the brakes are instant stop.

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They stop instantly.

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Coming to the battery,[br]it has a large capacity

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which you can even[br]give a house a light.

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This is where Mr. Lawrence[br]AJ makes all the inventions.

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This is where the[br]creation of electric bicycles

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made out of dead[br]laptop batteries happens.

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I'm currently here with Mr. Lawrence.

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Take us through the[br]process involved in the

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usage of these batteries[br]to make the electric bicycle.

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So you have the batteries here.

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You just crack them like this.

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You sometimes bend it or use a plier.

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You can see that we[br]don't use all the cells.

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This one is here, the bud.

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-Okay[br]-You can't use this one.

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You find a different one.

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-Try another one.

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Same.

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Okay

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So you take the motherboard of the battery.

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Then take the cell out like this.

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So in total, how many of these do you need?

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I need a lot.

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But I only have 6 batteries here.

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Then you test it with the voltmeter to[br]see whether they have some voltage inside.

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What is the average voltage[br]you need in the batteries?

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I think like 2.5 volts.

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2.5 volts fine.

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Okay

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So then we come here[br]and test with this machine.

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This one is called Opus.

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This one does the capacity testing.

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So you place the cells inside like this.

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So you can see it charging.

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It will charge the batteries[br]for like 2 hours, maybe 3 hours.

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After that, the machine will discharge[br]the battery and give you the capacity.

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-Okay[br]-Then we take it off.

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Then we write the capacity on it.

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Comparing the other things[br]to, you have a Bluetooth

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device in it which you can[br]use to program your phone.

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So imagine I'm going on a[br]high speed, you can just drop

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it on your phone and then[br]it will drop automatically.

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It doesn't matter the acceleration.

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For the other bikes,[br]they don't have reverse.

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You just need to push them back like this.

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But then this one has a reverse.

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So there is no need.

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When the key is on, you just push[br]the button and then you accelerate.

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It doesn't accelerate[br]like you're on a top

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speed, but it's very strong[br]and it takes you back slowly.

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No matter what obstacle,[br]it will take you back slowly.

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I think this is all about.

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For the other bikes,[br]we do have front shocks.

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And then, front shocks, talking[br]about this one, this is filled with air.

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It's different from the other one.

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The other one is a[br]little air, but more of oil.

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But then this one is[br]air, so you stop instantly.

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And you see for the back too.

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It's also different for the back.

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Actually, the other[br]bikes, when you are riding

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and then you pass through a pothole,[br]you feel some pains in your waist.

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But then this one, you don't feel.

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You just go through and then you're okay.

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So anytime you are[br]riding this bike, it makes

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you feel like go more,[br]go more, go more.

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It's really nice to have[br]one of these bikes.

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My name is AJ Lawrence.

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I live in Kaswa in the[br]central region of Ghana.

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At age 11, when Lawrence[br]discovered his talent,

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he acquainted himself with playing with[br]electronic gadgets such as computers.

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A year after his[br]interest in that field grew,

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he picked up the mantle[br]of repairing bicycles.

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Until date, he still[br]repairs a number of bikes.

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So far, Lawrence has made and[br]sold four e-bikes made by himself.

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Current bicycle presents upgraded features[br]from the ones he has made in the past.

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Professor Jay looks[br]forward to contacting

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universities for[br]collaborations and partnerships

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in order to take his innovative[br]ideas to the next level.

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He has dreams of using solar to propel his[br]bikes in future, but needs collaborations

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and partnerships with[br]universities and technical

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institutions to scale up[br]production from prototype

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to commercialization.

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In such partnerships,[br]he seeks to train technical

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students to improve their[br]knowledge on electronics.

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I have a question.

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So this experiment only works[br]when you are using the spot

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or dead laptop batteries or[br]you can use brand new ones.

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You can use brand new ones for sure.

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Okay.

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Okay.

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So now on charging the[br]bicycle, how is it charged?

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It's charged with this charger here.

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This one is a custom built charger.

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It's not like the normal charger.

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It will take like maybe 12[br]hours, 6 hours to charge.

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Okay.

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This one does around like 3 hours.

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Okay.

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And did you make it yourself?

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Yes.

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I bought the parts.

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Okay.

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So with the parts that you[br]worked on, can you run us briefly

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through the process, how[br]you came to that conclusion?

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For this one, it's a server power supply.

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Okay.

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It's in light service.

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You know, light service, they[br]have a lot of computers inside.

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So they have very good processor.

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And this one here is called step up converter

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Okay

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So if you take 3 volts and pass

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Then it coverts you to 84 volts

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Okay

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Now on the features of your bike

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What features does your bicycle have that ones in the market do not have?

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This one has everything programmable.

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You can choose the programm that [br]work on your phone.

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Okay, okay.

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It also has like phone charging [br]to charge your phones.

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It also has Evergine brake.

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That means when you hit a break[br]it charges a bike

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So like you don't try to use like Venoma Veperse[br]to stop when you hit a break

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It does it instantly in a break

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How do you respond to support this project?

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How have you been doing it?

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Believing in myself.

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Okay, so my challenges when[br]I was working on a bike

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was, at first I didn't have a welding[br]machine and a spray machine.

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So I take it to welders and sprayers.

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But they take your money[br]and they wouldn't do the work.

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I decided to buy the welding[br]machine and the spray machine.

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Then started learning[br]welding and spraying myself.

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So it took me like a[br]week or two to learn all.

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Sometimes my friends[br]always discouraging me

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that it won't work and[br]you're always wasting

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your time on this thing, go[br]find a job and get some money.

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My challenges about[br]financing is like sometimes

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I don't really get the money[br]in bulk to buy the parts.

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So like I'll buy one[br]maybe this month, the

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next month I'll buy[br]the one and they all like

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take shipments, which[br]like is a lot of cost.

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So when I get like funds to buy them[br]in bulk, I think it will help the process.

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Lawrence intends to set[br]up a permanent working

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place for himself,[br]create employment for

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interested inventors[br]and give back to society.

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Lawrence Adjei is not[br]only putting the African

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continent on the map,[br]he has also distinguished.

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himself as one of the[br]many undiscovered great

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minds in Africa who can[br]do more with a little push.

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This is where we end[br]this interesting, revealing

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and educative episode[br]of R&D Africa on AAU TV.

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Don't forget that next time the[br]spotlight could be put on you.

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So if you have any[br]innovations or inventions

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out there, contact AAU TV[br]and we'll be at your doorstep.

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Follow us on YouTube,[br]on Facebook and on all

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our social media[br]platforms for more content.

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My name is Maame Ekua Otuakoa Nyame.

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Until next time, it's a wrap!

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[Music].