Burro Tech is a Cape Town-based design and manufacturing company using participatory design to address critical mobility challenges in Africa, headed by founder Adam Lyman. It started as collaboration with small-scale farmers in Zambia to create a utility wheelbarrow, and has now evolved into a comprehensive approach to solving transportation problems that affect communities throughout the continent.

Burro’s founders identified a mobility gap between lightweight personal transportation tools (such as bicycles or mopeds), and larger utility vehicles. For many people in urban as well as rural spaces, there’s often no practical middle ground for carrying loads that are too heavy for a bicycle but don’t require a full-sized vehicle. This missing link creates significant barriers for a range of people, including small-scale farmers, street vendors and urban workers who need affordable, human-powered mobility solutions.

Burro’s journey from rolling out its model in rural Zambia to urban Cape Town, 2,000 miles to the South, revealed unexpected market potential. While initially focused on agricultural applications, Burro discovered that its simple upgraded wheelbarrow design had far broader utility and applications beyond rural areas. In South African cities, they found demand from landscaping companies, waste management operations like recycling, and last-mile deliveries. The product’s versatility became apparent as it moved from farm fields to construction sites, street vending operations, and municipal services.

At this juncture, Burro is exploring projects in a number of fields, including:

• Recycling / organic recycling collection in urban spaces
• Micro Cargo Transportation
• Urban farming (including community gardens)
• Mobile business stalls

As Adam explains, Burro is navigating a complex landscape that spans multiple sectors and geographies. “We’re piloting organic waste collection projects in Cape Town, developing municipal partnerships for waste management, and expanding into the burgeoning waste-to-energy sector. We’re also collaborating with various urban organisations and exploring how our mobility solution can serve as both a practical tool and a platform for business development”, he explains.

Burro faces key challenges of strategic expansion, developing new mobility tools, and developing partnerships. Institutional partnerships take a lot of time to develop, and meanwhile the organisation needs to continue to generate cash with its products.

Burro’s vision is to create accessible mobility solutions that empower communities and bridge the gaps that prevent people from moving goods, generating income, and building sustainable livelihoods.