My first invention was an aircraft - 18-year-old car inventor reveals

A teenage sensation who built a car from recycled metallic waste has disclosed that he invented an aircraft before manufacturing his first moving car which has grabbed the nation’s attention.

Kelvin Odartey who was part of the many candidates writing the just ended Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) nationwide revealed that he was inspired to start his own invention after he saw an aeroplane fly in the sky.

The 18-year-old said he had to put his aircraft ambition on hold and face reality because the plane couldn’t fly for one reason or the other.

“I got the idea from an airplane. The plane was passing and something told me that I can do it and I started doing something,” Odartey told Adom TV.

He added, “I started building a small aeroplane, but how I wanted it to get to the level that I want, I didn’t get it like that.”

Kelvin explains that due to financial constraints, he started to invent his moving car. He noted that his idea to build a car was to gain the attention and motivation from the public to support him.

“It reached a time, I decided to build a moving car so that everybody can help,” he said.

“When I was doing it, we were going to exhibitions in schools and as time went on we were winning awards but we didn’t get the support that I needed so I decided to build something big like this, so that even if someone sees it, it will motivate the person to help me,” Odartey emphasized.

Odartey who had a tough childhood with his mother and siblings after the demise of his father said he faced so many hardships inventing his car because he had no source of income or funding. He revealed that he was compelled to sell metallic scraps to earn an income and to buy materials he needed to finish his car.

“Because I was a student, I didn’t get the money to buy the materials that I needed so I have been working odd jobs. When I get some money I use it to buy some materials that I need. Sometimes I can become so dirty, because of the money I want,” Odartey who lives in Tabora, a suburb in Accra said.



According to him, he had to convince his friends at school to believe in his dream and invest some capital in inventing the car which has gone viral.

“My friends were also helping me, so if I get something we put it together so and buy the materials that I need. We didn’t get the correct materials to build what we wanted.”

After the completion of JHS, Odartey who has hopes of furthering his education said, “I pray that when we get support and help I can do better than this. I want to go to school to educate myself and do it better.”

Reacting to his expectations in the BECE, he said “I expect to come out with flying colours so that I can do something great to help and support Ghana,” he concluded.