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Music Icon Akon Helps Develop Africa
The famous rapper, Akon has claimed that the charity work in Africa doesn’t really work, stating that, “personally, I don’t think that the charities in Africa really work,” going on to say that, “I think it just holds the people down longer than it should. I think the only way to build Africa is to build for-profit businesses that create opportunities and jobs for the people locally.”
Thione Niang, one of the three co-founders of the project went on to explain that, “what happens usually is that when people come to do business in Africa, they bring the expertise with them but they also bring the workers, and once they’re done they’re gone,” adding, “that’s why many cities in Africa have a lot of solar lights but after three years none of them work and nobody is there to maintain them.
In order to combat this issue, Akon, along with Niang and Samba Bathily have set up the, “Akon Lighting Africa” project in order to “empower” local people and allow them to start developing their own economies by not only giving them energy, but also training young Africans in the local areas to maintain the equipment and provide them with jobs.
This is the second charity organisation to be set up by the rapper, after his venture into health and education in 2007, labelled, “Konfidence.”
The inspiration behind his new charity project is the fact that the rapper grew up with no electricity or power in Kaolack, Southern Senegal.
The founders share a mutual interest in helping the rural areas of African communities, believing that what they need to thrive is not overseas charities, but affordable renewable energy, which will be delivered by trained African professionals managing for-profit businesses.
They’re hoping that this will build self-sustaining economies for the country that will allow Africa to be put in the centre of a global solar power industry. With these goals, the for-profit organisation has agreements with 16 African countries and hopes to add another 9 to their list by the end of this year.
Using a $1 billion dollar line of credit, the deals have been financed by international partners that have backed the project, including China Jiangsu International Group, and distributed by pan-African bank Ecobank.
The solar panels will be produced by a Chinese manufacturer, but the workers will mostly be African. The investments will provide villagers with immediate electricity access and a training academy is set to be opened in Bamako, Mali where young people will train in a number of fields including construction, engineering, clerical work and project management.
Repayment plans are worked out on a case-by-case basis with individual governments and the organisation’s efforts have been well received by governments who want greater energy access by struggle to find partners that are willing to help them.
