Many villages, schools and health centers in rural areas have electricity for the first time!
Today, more than 600 million Africans still live without access to electricity, while 3.5 million people die each year after inhaling toxic gases from fires caused by house lights.

Realizing that access to electricity was one of the key elements to improve the quality of life for Africans, Akon decided to intervene by creating his own association: Akon Lighting Africa.

Thus, the rapper and his two co-founders, Thiong Niang, Senegalese political activist andSamba Bathily, Malian entrepreneur and CEO of the solar energy company Solektra International, determined that rural African communities need renewable energy, provided by fully qualified African professionals.

The objective was therefore to initiate Africa’s energy renaissance by making the continent home to a global solar industry.

Source: senat

And they got it right.

According to the charity Akon Lighting Africa, a large number of quality solar installations, including street lamps, individual kits and household kits, have been set up in 14 African countries, thanks to a private partnership model. -public and a well-established partnership network (such as SOLEKTRA INT, SUMEC and NARI).

As a result, many homes, villages, community houses, schools and health centers in rural areas have got electricity for the very first time! New positions for installation and maintenance of equipment have also been created.

“I CAN NOW RECHARGE MY LAPTOP WITH ME, I NO LONGER NEED TO WALK FOR HOURS OR PAY FOR IT. »VILLAGERS, NIGER.

The positive results observed since the start of the project show that a local presence as well as practical solutions are essential to resolve the energy challenges of the African continent.

The incredible changes achieved by one group are just unexpected and seem to call into question the action of the other groups present before the arrival of Akon Lighting Africa.

To begin with, the majority of charities operating in Africa are not African: they are essentially supported by Western religious organizations which have become so bureaucratic that they have come to nothing.

Akon even said:

I DID MAKE SOMETHING ABOUT AFRICA, IT IS THAT ONLY ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVING AFRICAN ACTORS ACHIEVED A SATISFACTORY RESULT. MANY COMPANIES ARE COMING TO ESTABLISH IN AFRICA, TRYING TO APPLY THEIR OWN STRATEGIES AND FAILURE TO LOSE. WE HAVE THE ADVANTAGE OF BEING ALL THREE OF AFRICAN ORIGIN, WHICH ALLOWED US TO MOVE FAST FROM COUNTRY TO COUNTRY.

In addition to not knowing what they are doing in Africa, many charities are more concerned with self-funding than providing aid. And, when they do provide aid, it is in the form of food drives, vaccinations, temporary medical assistance or proselytism. Needless to say, these actions are far from sufficient.

To finance his program, Akon and his associates took on the debt and responsibilities that hung over the continent. The project was pre-paid through a billion dollar line of credit and funded by international partners such as the China Jiangsu International Group and the African bank Ecobank.

As construction continues, investors are now able to see an honorable return on investment. Instead of managing a one-way cash flow, as bureaucratic organizations do, Akon’s organization has implemented a circular trade model, paving the way for the development of renewable energy and its future success.

Pan African TV

About The Author

CEO AfrikaTech

Comme beaucoup de personnes j’ai connu l’Afrique à travers des stéréotypes : l’Afrique est pauvre, il y a la guerre, famine… Je suis devenu entrepreneur pour briser ces clichés et participer à la construction du continent. J’ai lancé plusieurs entreprises dont Kareea (Formation et développement web), Tutorys (Plate-forme de e-learning), AfrikanFunding (Plate-forme de crowdfunding). Après un échec sur ma startup Tutorys, à cause d’une mauvaise exécution Business, un manque de réseau, pas de mentor, je suis parti 6 mois en immersion dans l’écosystème Tech au Sénégal. J’ai rencontré de nombreux entrepreneurs passionnés, talentueux et déterminés. A mon retour sur Paris je décide de raconter leur histoire en créant le média AfrikaTech. L'objectif est de soutenir les entrepreneurs qui se battent quotidiennement en Afrique en leur offrant la visibilité, les connaissances, le réseautage et les capitaux nécessaires pour réussir. L'Afrique de demain se construit aujourd'hui ensemble. Rejoignez-nous ! LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boubacardiallo

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