WEBVTT

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Do you see where I am seated?

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

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

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this electronic motorcycle
from dead laptop batteries.

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Stay tuned.
We'll bring you more.

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In an era where environmental protection,
fitness and green travel

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are increasingly being valued and
practiced by people,

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what comes to mind when
transportation that allows you

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to avoid road traffic congestion,

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be green and environmentally
friendly is mentioned.

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Electric bicycles or e-bikes
are equipped with electric devices

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activated to assist
or replace peddling.

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They provide a number of benefits.

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They are fuel efficient, faster, 
reduces traffic congestion

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and are mostly non-pollutant.

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Inventors mainly rely on 
batteries such as lithium-ion,

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nickel-cadmium,

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lithium-cobalt batteries

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lead acid,

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nickel-metal hydrate,

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lithium-manganese

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and lithium-ion polymer
batteries as the accessories.

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Interestingly, a young
Ghanaian, Lawrence Adjei

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has added to the innovations
in the electric bike industry.

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He uses sports laptop
batteries, which he purchases

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

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He is known to be the first 
Ghanaian to make electric bicycles

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from sports laptop batteries
and he is self-taught.

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I stay close to Lawrence and
I happen to be this 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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Different. I can't even compare
because riding a normal bicycle...

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is full of pain.

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And then you actually admire the 
kind of kilometers you need to go.

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

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

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

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It has a USB spot which
can charge your phone

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or use a USB light.

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Which the others don't have.

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And then it also has a bell,
the others didn'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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Next. Coming to the battery,

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it has a large capacity,
which you can even

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give a house a light.

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This is where Mr. Lawrence
AJ makes all the inventions.

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This is where the
creation of electric bicycles

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made out of dead
laptop batteries happens and

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I'm currently here with Mr. Lawrence.

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Take us through 
the process involved in the

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usage of these batteries 
to make the electric bicycle.

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So you have the batteries here.

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So, you just crack them like this.

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You sometimes bend it or...

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or use a plier.

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Okay

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

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This one is here, the bud.

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-Okay
-You can't use this one, so

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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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This one is okay. So you take 
like the motherboard

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- of the battery. So...
- Okay

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So taking them off

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[Inaudible]

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Then take the cells out like this.

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Okay

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

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I need a lot, but

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I only have 6 batteries here.

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Okay

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

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What is the average voltage
you need in the batteries?

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I think like 2.5 volts.
2.5 volts is fine.

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- Okay
- This one is good

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- Okay
- So then we come here

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and test with this machine here.

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This one is called Opus.

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This one does the capacity testing.

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- Okay
- So you place the cells inside like this.

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So you can see it charging, so...

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It will charge the batteries
for like two hours

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- Okay
- Only two hours

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

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-Okay
-Then we take it off.

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Then we write the capacity on it.

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Comparing the other things too

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It has a Bluetooth device in it, 
which you can use to program your phone.

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So imagine I'm going on a
high speed, you don't like drop

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it on your phone and then
it will drop automatically.

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It doesn't matter the acceleration.

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For the other bikes,
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
the button and then you accelerate.

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It doesn't accelerate
like you're on a top

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

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

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I think this is all about.

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For the other bikes,
we do have front shocks.

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And then, front shocks, talking
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
little air, but more of oil.

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But then this one is
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
bikes, when you are riding

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and then you pass through a pothole,
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
riding this bike, it makes

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you feel like go more,
go more, go more.

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

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My name is AJ Lawrence.

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I live in Kaswa in the
central region of Ghana.

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At age 11, when Lawrence
discovered his talent,

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he acquainted himself with playing with
electronic gadgets such as computers.

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A year after his
interest in that field grew,

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he picked up the mantle
of repairing bicycles.

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Until date, he still
repairs a number of bikes.

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

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

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Professor Jay looks
forward to contacting

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universities for
collaborations and partnerships

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in order to take his innovative
ideas to the next level.

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

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and partnerships with
universities and technical

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institutions to scale up
production from prototype

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to commercialization.

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In such partnerships,
he seeks to train technical

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students to improve their
knowledge on electronics.

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I have a question.

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So this experiment only works
when you are using the spot

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or dead laptop batteries or
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
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
hours, 6 hours to charge.

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Ok

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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
worked on, can you run us briefly

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through the process, how
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
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 
work on your phone.

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Okay, okay.

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It also has like phone charging 
to charge your phones.

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It also has Evergine brake.

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That means when you hit a break
it charges a bike

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So like you don't try to use like 
Venoma Veperseto 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
I was working on a bike

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was, at first I didn't have a welding
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
and they wouldn't do the work.

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I decided to buy the welding
machine and the spray machine.

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Then started learning
welding and spraying myself.

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

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Sometimes my friends
always discouraging me

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that it won't work and
you're always wasting

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

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My challenges about
financing is like sometimes

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

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

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

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take shipments, which
like is a lot of cost.

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

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Lawrence intends to set
up a permanent working

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place for himself,
create employment for

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interested inventors
and give back to society.

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Lawrence Adjei is not
only putting the African

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continent on the map,
he has also distinguished.

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himself as one of the
many undiscovered great

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

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This is where we end
this interesting, revealing

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

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

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So if you have any
innovations or inventions

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

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Follow us on YouTube,
on Facebook and on all

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our social media
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].