Akon Lighting Africa, an initiative launched by rapper Akon, plans to bring power to 600 million Africans. Under the initiative a solar academy is to be established in Mali to help its citizens take advantage of the 320 days of sun a year the country has.
The initiative’s intent is to train Africans in “every aspect of installing and maintaining solar-powered electrical systems and micro-grids,” according to its website. The professional training center is a first on the continent and targets future African entrepreneurs, engineers, and technicians.
Co-founder Samba Bathily added:“We have the sun and innovative technologies to bring electricity to homes and communities. We now need to consolidate African expertise and that is our objective.”
The initiative is doing more than bringing clean power to the continent, it is brining jobs also. “We are doing more than just investing in clean energy. We are investing in human capital. We can achieve great milestones and accelerate the African transformation process on condition that we start training a new generation of highly qualified African engineers, technicians, and entrepreneurs now,” Bathily added.