CBC MUSIC
Sunday, June 7, 2015
He may be best known for his powerful music, but Senegalese-American singer Akon is getting into a different kind of power altogether which could improve millions of lives in rural Africa.
The singer's Akon Lighting Africa initiative aims to bring solar power to 600 million Africans who don't have electricity, and a new "Solar Academy" will give African engineers and entrepreneurs the skills they need to make it a reality. European experts will provide training and equipment.
The academy, which was launched at the United Nations Sustainable Energy for All Forum in New York and is slated to open this summer in Mali's capital Bamako, aims to train people on how to create and maintain "micro-grids" — small, community-based power systems.
Africa has 320 days of sunshine a year, so it's perfectly suited to solar electricity. And with 70 percent of Africans being under 35, creating sustainable jobs is essential.
“We have the sun and innovative technologies to bring electricity to homes and communities. We now need to consolidate African expertise and that is our objective,” said Samba Baithily, who founded Akon Lighting Africa with Akon as well as community leader and consultant Thione Niang.
“We are doing more than just investing in clean energy. We are investing in human capital."
It's not the first time Akon has ventured into philanthropy; he also has a charity called the Konfidence Foundation, which promotes health and education, and supports underprivileged kids in West Africa and the United States.