The Legend of Akon: In Africa’s Renewable Energy World, Akon is King!
By Happy Benson
Akon, the musical cum entertainment icon, who is officially known by the governments of the world as Aliaume Damala Badaru Akon Thiam, will always remain green in Africa’s house of memory as the green energy ambassador went above and beyond to bring clean power to his people. Not many can say they braved the investment of green energy in Africa.
Born in Missouri in 1973, Akon grew up in Senega, West Africa, and did not move back to the United States until he was seven. After high school, Akon got involved in theft and served over three years in prison. Yet, his misdemeanors did not halt his love for R&B and his pursuit of a musical career. His criminal past became the focus of his first hit single, “Locked Up,” which hit the top ten list in the US and UK in 2004. Over the span of 15 years, Akon released five studio albums and collaborated with many artists, such as David Guetta, the Lonely Island, Dr. Dre, and more. He also founded Konvict, his record label that led musicians Lady Gaga and T-Pain to fame.
So how exactly did the former convict-turned five-time Grammy-nominated artist Akon become interested in green energy? Always eager to experiment and work across the sea, Akon learned he could not tour in many countries of Africa due to their lack of access to electricity.
According to the International Energy Agency, “close to 600 million people are still without access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa … half of the sub-Saharan African population without access to electricity lives in five countries: Nigeria, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda.” This statistic is equivalent to the population of the US, Canada, UK, France, Spain, and Italy combined. Africans cannot thrive if they struggle day-to-day and do not look forward to the future. “The big picture” simply does not exist for these poor countries in Africa, and so much potential goes down the drain.
Imagine how much healthier our planet would be if all these people converted to green energy. Access to electrical power would improve every sector of the African economy. The adoption of green technology would also create thousands of jobs for Africans, including manufacturing, sales, maintenance, EV charging stations, and more. With access to stable power and internet speeds, Africa could develop its educational sector and produce smarter leaders and technology; today’s youth is our future. In addition, a real-time communication system powered by electricity, which most countries use by now, would more strongly enforce the law and reduce crime in Africa.
Akon knew these challenges all too well, growing up without access to off-grid electricity. Thus, in 2014, Akon Lighting Africa was born. Through this project, Akon aimed to provide Africans with solar-powered electricity for low cost.
Funded by his own money and then a billion-dollar credit line from China, this project provided essential electric needs, such as lighting and phone charging, to 14 African nations through solar panels in just one year. Many Americans take for granted the access to off-grid electricity we have had for over a century. Now, as a result, businesses in Africa could stay open longer, important communications could be shared via phone, and overall health could improve from the reduced use of kerosene lamps. Lighting Africa’s accomplishments also included 100,000 solar-powered streetlamps and the creation of over 5,000 jobs.
Of course, this transition to green energy was not smooth. Because Africa was in debt to other countries, the governments could not finance the full vision Akon had in mind. Leaders were also reluctant to adopt his ideas since this technology was so new and foreign to them. Even though Africa seemed like a lost cause, Akon persisted, petitioning several educational institutions and ultimately securing funding with the Chinese. Finally, Akon would start remediating the neglect that so many citizens and families felt, neglect he had felt as a child.
Now, Lighting Africa has brought solar power to over 32.2 million Africans and hopes to reach 25 million more by 2030. Akon has extended his service to the United States and other poor countries. Along with Brandon Martin, Akon co-founded Lighting America, the largest minority-run clean energy project in the US, which aims to provide renewable energy to low-income families and inner cities. Lighting Africa is not charity work, Akon emphasizes; he wants to motivate Africans to evolve with the changing world and inspire entrepreneurship. He established Solektra Solar Academy so Africans could educate themselves about solar power and build a profitable career from it.
While this platinum artist has already done so much for Africa, he has more plans. Akon proposed his idea to build a city in Senegal, which will completely run on solar power and use cryptocurrency. Drawing inspiration from Black Panther, Akon believed in Africa’s potential. This 10-year project called Akon City will include an airport, schools, houses, hotels, and a 5,000-bed hospital. Akon will also introduce Akoin, his version of cryptocurrency that will combat the high levels of inflation. There are over 40 currencies in Africa, and reduction to a single currency would increase productivity in businesses and create yet another opportunity to grow entrepreneurship. This city is not simply a dream for Akon, but a reality with concrete goals and projections, as the construction of this 2,000-acre futuristic city has already started.
As many entrepreneurs have proved in the past, a dream can start with one man. While many political leaders have failed to bring renewable energy to Africa, Akon persevered, changing millions of people’s lives. The most important consequence of Akon Lighting Africa was its inspiration for so many young Africans, that they deserve more than living day-to-day, that they can become a part of saving our planet. Akon created a strong foundation for so many to become interested in bringing Africa up to speed with the rest of the world, and he encouraged them to believe it is absolutely possible.
