Celebrity Senegalese – American singer, Akon, in The Gambia to launch a solar project connected with his ‘Akon Lighting Africa’ initiative.
Akon has several times expressed his aims through the initiative to provide millions of African homes with electricity.
The 43 year old celebrity is also campaigning for youth empowerment in the West African country in a ‘Role of young people in building a new Gambia.’ project championed by Thione Niang – Founder of the Give1 Project and Samba Bathily of the Solektra Energy Group according to a report by African News.
Akon is expected to meet with newly elected President Adama Barrow.
The Gambian village of Sareh Pateh, population 4,000, turned on solar street lights for the first time on Sunday night, along with power for a mosque and a pharmacy according to AFP.
“I want to leave a legacy,” Akon told AFP in the Gambian capital of Banjul. “Africans work harder in everything and they work harder to live and to sustain themselves.”
The musician met with Economy Minister Jose Goncalves in Cape Verde on Saturday and said he considered the poor but stable island nation to be his next investment prospect.
Akon together with fellow Senegalese Niang and Malian entrepreneur, Bathily; co-founded Akon Lighting Africa initiative in 2014. According to Akon, he and Thione Niang grew up in Kaolack Region, Senegal in a town without electricity. In 2013 both decided to help drive Africa’s transformation. The mega-solar project is aimed at providing electricity to some 600 million Africans.
According to reports the project has already brought electricity to more than 14 African countries.
Best known for his singles “Locked Up” and “Smack That”, Akon has devoted more of his time in recent years to attending renewable energy conferences and visiting schools to provide adequate lighting to study according to AFP.
