Akua Gaddafi: Taking biking to another level
She grew up being a tomboy and has still not departed from it even though she is now a wife and a mother.
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In fact, she totally rejects skirts, normal girly dresses, accessories; hates bright colours and any hint of femininity. Instead, she loves to appear in her boots, combats, jackets, tattered jeans, climb trees, play football and ride around like nobody’s business.
For some, being a tomboy is just a passing phase. However, she loves being a tomboy and spurns friendship with women in favour of running around with the guys.
She is known as Akua Gaddafi, a name embossed on the customised number plate on her giant motorbike called Johnny Love.
Due to her toughness, her male friends named her Gaddafi and she is a Wednesday born hence the name Akua.
She is currently one of the few female bikers in Ghana. Akua as she prefers to be called, is the first female Ghanaian biker to ride across four West African countries in a day: from Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria.
Akua exhibiting her skills on her bike.
She also participated in the Calarbar Bikers Show with her club members.
Akua is a policewoman attached to the VVIPU of the Ghana Police Service. She is officially known as LCpl Bernina Okoh-Akrofi.
Besides, she was among the policewomen riders who stole the show during the Independence Parade held at the Independence Square on March 6.
Her picture went viral on social media and trended for some time due to her smart turnout and confidence on her motorbike.
Biking inspiration
Sharing her experience as a biker to The Mirror with a smile, Akua said: “Biking is my life and for me I’m over the moon because I get to do what I love best even as my official duties. I ride as a passion and ride as a profession and it is so cool with me.”
Asked what inspired her into biking, she said: “I like to do things that are mostly done by men. I used to play football with the boys in my neighbourhood. I was the only girl playing football among a large group of boys. Though there is a saying that some things are done by men only, I don’t go by that rule.
‘’Whatever I feel like doing I just do it. I don’t mind whether it’s for men or women. That is where I get my inspiration from. I remember I went to the football field to test my playing skills just few hours before I gave birth. My mum called me to stop; I didn’t mind her. As a result, she called my husband to report me. I was really having fun,” she stated.
Akua at the 58th Independence Day parade in Accra. Photo credit: Bob Pixel Studios
Click to view more photographs of Akua Gaddafi
For Akua, it is not because of her love for biking that made her join the police force. She learnt biking in her private life.
“My husband taught me how to drive but I wanted to learn how to ride the motorbike instead so one of my male friends, Augustine Dadzie, who is a member of my biking club, decided to teach me for free.”
Afterwards, she started riding her private bike to work before she started riding the official bike. “Due to my riding experience I was called together with other experienced colleagues to assist in teaching some females to ride. Till now I still ride my private bike or drive my car to report to work.”
Akua, who rides both the street and sports motorbikes, rides a 2014 BMW bike with a 1000 engine capacity.
“I started riding a bike with a 250 engine capacity; then I moved to 400, 660 and now 1000. My official bike is, however, 1300; it is huge and performs various functions,” she explained.
“My current motorbike is a fully electronic bike purposely for speed. When you slow down, the bike begins to overheat so I love to speed with it to my destination.”
Biking expeditions
Akua belongs to the Hot Wheels Club. A male-dominated club of bikers who compete among themselves, ride for pleasure and also ride to neighbouring countries to do charity works such as visiting the homeless, donating helmets, assisting rural women and creating safety awareness just to reduce accidents on our roads.
She belongs to various continental and international biking clubs among which are Hurricane, an international female bikers club, West African Bikers Forum and Amazons.
Akua and husband
Background
Akua grew up at Kotobabi and Teshie, both suburbs of Accra. According to her, her mum lived in Teshie while the dad stayed in Pig Farm, also in Accra.
“Due to the distance from our house to school, my dad bought me a bicycle to be riding to school as a means of transport. Young as I was then I decided to ride from Teshie to Pig Farm to visit my dad though it was quite a distance,” she recalled.
She disclosed that she had wanted to be a nurse just like her mum who works at the Police Hospital.
Her desires changed one day when her mum informed her about a police recruitment for sports persons so she put in an application and was fortunately enlisted.
Born to Madam Doris Arko and Mr Samuel Akrofi, Akua is the first of four siblings. She comes from Larteh-Akwapim in the Eastern Region.
She had her primary education at the Ford Preparatory School at Teshie and later went to the Okuapeman Senior High School (OKUASS).
“At OKUASS, I played football, volleyball, high jump, long jump and 100m, 400m, relays among others. In fact, I came second in the Eastern Regional Championship and it was for this reason that I joined the police force. Unfortunately, after passing out I did more general duties than sports until I was attached to the VVIPU.”
She is married to John Soumare, a businessman and has a daughter by name Oz Jetta Soumare.
Akua, who is very conscious of safety on the road, said riding a motorcycle can be a lot of fun, but it’s also dangerous.
"You can’t avoid every accident, but keeping your eyes up and paying attention to the road will help you spot threats and make better decisions no matter what is happening."
