Akon Will Bring Electricity To 600 Million People In Rural Africa

Akon is best known for singing songs like "Smack That" and "Locked Up," but now, he will be known for something else entirely.

The music artist is attempting to bring electricity to 600 million people in Africa.

Akon started a charity in 2014 called Akon Lighting Africa.

As part of the initiative, Akon opened a "Solar Academy" in Mali to educate engineers so they will go on to pioneer new advances in solar technology.

The ultimate goal is to bring power to rural communities across the continent.

While that is a long way away, Akon hopes to groom a new generation of engineers who will lead the charge in this pursuit.

One of the cofounders of Akon Lighting Africa, Thione Niang, said,

We expect the Africans who graduate from this center to devise new, innovative, technical solutions. With this Academy, we can capitalize on Akon Lighting Africa and go further.

Hopefully, Akon will be successful in this noble venture.

Citations: Akon is bringing electricity to six hundred million people in Africa (The Independent )