Tanzania, Sept. 3 -- Dar es Salaam. For years, riding a motorcycle taxi famously known as bodaboda was seen by many as a last resort for those who had failed to secure employment.

But that perception is changing as some young riders increasingly turn bodaboda riding into a pathway to asset ownership, entrepreneurship and employment creation.

What starts as a job to earn a daily income is increasingly becoming a business model in which riders acquire motorcycles through agreements with investors, complete repayment contracts and eventually become owners. Under the arrangement, a motorcycle owner buys a motorcycle and gives it to a young person under a contract that can run for between 10 months and one year.

The rider makes daily repaym...