Akon Launches Solar Academy That Will Supply Electricity to 600,000,000 People in Africa
Talk to Al Jazeera – Akon: ‘America was never built for black people’
When he’s not singing or producing music, Akon is busy providing sustainable living options to people in African countries. The Senegalese-American singer’s initiative, appropriately called Akon Lighting Africa, aims to supply electricity to 600 million people in Africa who lack it with the launch of the Solar Academy.
Located in Bamako, Mali, the Solar Academy will help African engineers and entrepreneurs develop skills that will enable them to produce solar power. Experts will be on hand to help the participants with training and equipment, according to a Reuters report.
According to Akon Lighting Africa, the goal of the academy is to teach people how to maintain solar-powered electricity systems and microgrids. Both systems have been growing quickly in rural parts of Africa. In a continent that has 320 days of sun a year, roping in its natural resources will be valuable to the solar-energy efforts.
“We have the sun and innovative technologies to bring electricity to homes and communities. We now need to consolidate African expertise,” said Samba Baithily, who founded Akon Lighting Africa with Akon and Thione Niang.
The organization also hopes to create jobs with its initiative.
“We expect the Africans who graduate from this center to devise new, innovative, technical solutions,” said Niang. “With this academy, we can capitalize on Akon Lighting Africa and go further.”
Source: The Root
Visit Official Website for Akon Lighting Africa Initiative
Akon on Africa: The Next Growth Frontier
During President Obama’s first-ever U.S.-Africa Summit, Akon, a five-time Grammy nominated artist and philanthropist, convened the first annual “Africa: New Partnership Models for Growth Conference,” August 7, 2014. Featuring African Heads of State, including those from Guinea, Kenya, Congo, and Ghana, this international conference gave the next generation of African leaders from all sectors of activity a platform and opportunity to directly exchange with African decision-makers, business leaders, civil society representatives, opinion leaders, athletes, artists, and celebrities.
Here, Akon discusses the results of the conference at a National Press Club Newsmaker event August 7th, 2014.
Singer Akon launches academy to help Africans harness the sunshine
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Senegalese-American singer Akon, whose Akon Lighting Africa initiative aims to bring electricity to some of the 600 million Africans who lack it, announced on Thursday the launch of a new “Solar Academy” for the continent.
The institution, scheduled to open this summer in Bamako, Mali’s capital, will try to give African engineers and entrepreneurs the skills needed to develop solar power. European experts will help supply training equipment and programs.
The academy will aim to teach people how to install and maintain solar-powered electricity systems as well as micro grids, “which are really taking off in rural Africa”, Akon Lighting Africa said.
Relive the Akon Lighting Africa conference during the Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2014 in Marrakech.
More information on: https://www.gesmarrakech2014.org/en/home #akonlightingafrica
Africa has 320 days of sunshine a year, the organization said in a statement, so harnessing solar energy is an ideal way to enable those without electricity to get it.
“We have the sun and innovative technologies to bring electricity to homes and communities. We now need to consolidate African expertise,” said Samba Baithily, who founded Akon Lighting Africa with Akon and Thione Niang.
Seventy percent of Africans are under 35, and creating sustainable jobs is vital, the group said, so investing in solar power for the future can help in more ways than one.
“We expect the Africans who graduate from this center to devise new, innovative, technical solutions,” said Niang. “With this Academy, we can capitalize on Akon Lighting Africa and go further.”
The group announced the launch of the academy at the second United NationsSustainable Energy for All Forum in New York
(Reporting By Joseph D’Urso; Editing by Tim Pearce)
Source: Reuters
