Senegal-born global music sensation Akon has launched a Solar Academy that is expected to provide electricity for about 600 million Africans. The initiative called Akon Lighting Africa, is targeting Africans that don’t have electricity.
Reuters reported the academy is located in Bamako, Mali, and 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.
The academy will teach people how to maintain solar-powered electricity systems and microgrids, both of which are growing quickly in rural parts of Africa.
“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.”
