Senegalese-American singer Akon, has taken a break from his musical career in order to help bring solar powered energy to Africa.
The Lonely singer, has announced plans to launch a Solar Academy in Mali, which will teach young Africans, how to use solar power has a useful energy resource, and hopes to bring solar powered energy to 600 million Africans across the continent where energy supply is often unreliable.
The project, titled ‘Akon Lighting Africa’, will open its school this summer, in Mali’s capital Bamako. It has highlighted the fact the majority of African countries have around 320 days of sunlight a year, and thus, the use of solar power is more than plausible.
“We have the sun and innovative technologies to bring electricity to homes and communities. We now need to consolidate African expertise,” Samba Baithily, who founded Akon Lighting Africa with Akon and Thione Niang, said.
“We expect the Africans who graduate from this centre 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 Nations Sustainable Energy for All Forum in New York.
