Udoh Ebaide Joy swore to make the most of her time on Earth after a 2015 accident that left her in a wheelchair for months, with screws in her spine. So, when she regained strength in her legs, she did just that and has made a name for herself as a trailblazer who is traveling across Africa on a motorcycle.
Last year, she became the first documented black African woman to travel solo from East to West Africa on a motorcycle.
Joy told OkayAfrica, “In my head, seeing the world just made the most sense because I have screws holding my back in place, and I know I won’t have this ability to move around forever. So I want to see as much as I can before I can’t anymore.”
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“It made me decide that I will live my life to the fullest,” she also told the BBC’s Africa Daily podcast.
The 34-year-old Nigerian, born and raised in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan, started out studying criminology and social work. However, she never pursued a profession in that area.
Instead, she became interested in creative work, working in television, radio, and film production before embarking on a solo backpacking trip around West Africa. When the COVID-19 epidemic struck and blocked international borders, her journey was temporarily halted. But after the borders were reopened, she went back to traveling, but this time she had even bigger plans.
In 2021, she set her sights on East Africa. “I planned to do five countries, one country per month. I went to Rwanda first, and spent a month there, but when I went to Kenya, I spent four months there. I just couldn’t leave; I loved it too much. In early 2022, I traveled back to Nigeria, sold everything I had, and moved to Kenya,” she told OkayAfrica.
When she arrived, she bought an old 1987 Nissan van and restored it herself, using it to travel. Later, she upgraded to a tuk-tuk, but that too felt limiting. Determined to explore further, she purchased a brand-new motorcycle, enrolled in a riding school for a week, and taught herself how to ride—enduring several falls along the way.
She practiced for months, riding nearly 1,900 kilometers (1,200 miles) across Kenya before attempting her first international ride. Her excitement was uncontainable. That first border crossing from Kenya to Uganda left her screaming in joy. From that point on, she didn’t stop.
Joy has traveled through 20 African countries, reaching an incredible 24,000 kilometers (15,000 miles) riding a 250cc motorcycle.
“The funny thing is that until now, I don’t even know how to ride a bicycle, so learning to ride a motorcycle was even more challenging,” she laughed. “But I’ve now done 20 countries on a bike, and I still can’t believe it.”
During her journey, she kept a strict set of personal rules on the road, including limiting her riding time to four or five hours a day and avoiding traveling after dark. Her safety-first mindset guided every decision, including where to stay. She also traveled with only the essentials: five tops, two pairs of pants, and her photography equipment.
Most of her days began at 7 a.m., and by midday, she usually arrived at her next stop, giving her body some break. She funded her journey, relying on a remote writing job. However, for her upcoming final leg from South Africa to Kenya, she is actively seeking sponsorship to ease the financial strain and raise awareness for her cause.
She has found crossing borders as one of the most difficult components of her quest largely due to visa problems and corrupt border officials. “It’s wild to require visas to travel within the continent as an African. But I have no choice,” she said.
Joy has partnered with Youth Hub Africa and the African Union on a digital project called One Africa.No Borders to combat these obstacles. The video project calls for visa-free travel throughout Africa.
She also faced another challenge with finding a place for her title, as Guinness World Records initially informed her that the category of Longest Journey by Motorcycle in Africa (Female) did not exist. After much appeal and public criticism, the organization officially reinstated her application.
On May 1, 2025, they approved it under the title “Longest Journey by Motorcycle in Africa (Female)”. The benchmark is 30,000 kilometers.
After her initial challenges with Guinness World Records, Joy launched African People’s Records, a new platform on Africa Day (May 25) to recognize extraordinary African achievements. She is also working on the Ebaide Foundation, which will teach girls practical skills and fund their small businesses.
Meanwhile, Joy is glad to be among the wave of Africans shaking the world with their records, not for fame, but for impact.
She remarked, “If a girl with a spinal injury who never learned to cycle can break a world record, then what’s your excuse?”
Her next chapter begins on June 12, as she plans to ride from South Africa to Kenya to complete the final leg and grab a Guinness World Record.
“… If I can do South Africa to Kenya, that’s 32 countries. Alone! Alone! Can you believe it? I’ll know my accident didn’t define me. Every curveball life threw at me, I turned into gold.”
