We set out to Suame Magazine with different objectives. First to see, smell and feel the site. Secondly, by doing so getting a better understanding of it’s dynamics and people and inform us about the (im)possibilities for the project. A third important aim was to contact different organizations and interest them in the project and to find a way to corporate.

Three organizations were of special interest to us: the Engineering Department of the Kumasi University, the Kumasi Art School and SMIDO, the Suame Magazine Industrial Development Organization. With the University and the Art school we reached word by mouth agreements of corporation, collaboration of students in the project and the participation of professors to oversee the project from a technological and artistic point of view.

SMIDO was probably our most important future partner because of their strong ties to Magazine. The SMIDO organization represents the 12 different associations of the Suame Magazine like the associations of the welders, painters or fitters. They represent hereby the artisans of ‘ the biggest and leading industrial estate in Sub Sahara Africa’ to the outside world and to the government. They have 5.000 members in the Magazine and play an important role in its development and functioning.

We were very happy that yesterday we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the president of SMIDO, George Asamoah Amankwa, in which we and SMIDO state our intentions for the project. SMIDO will among other things provide a workplace to build the car and provide a project leader with strong local ties and mechanical experience who can oversee the project and can function as a middleman to the Suame Magazine artisans and companies. Formalizing the informal feels good!