Senegalese-American musician and record producer Akon is well known for lighting up the stage and the music charts. But now he’s set his sights on a more important mission than delighting music fans: supplying electricity to 600 million Africans who currently lack access to the grid. He has started an initiative called Akon Lighting Africa. Its first project is the launch of a Solar Academy in Bamako, Mali. The faculty at the academy, which is scheduled to open this summer, will help African engineers and entrepreneurs develop skills that will enable them to produce solar-powered microgrids and make it easier to acquire the necessary equipment. Africa has the lowest percentage of inhabitants with access to national grids, but has the benefit of 320 days of sun each year on average. Harnessing that solar energy will not only allow Africans to use electronic gadgets, but also create a new category of tech jobs that could boost the standard of living across the continent. “We expect the Africans who graduate from this center to devise new, innovative, technical solutions,” Thione Niang, one of Akon Lighting Africa’s cofounders, told Reuters. “With this academy, we can capitalize on Akon Lighting Africa and go further.” The group announced the launch of the academy late last month at the second United Nations Sustainable Energy for All Forum, in New York City.
