Akon seeks to light 1,000 African homes

April 12, 2014 

The American-born Senegalese rapper, Akon, who spent some of his childhood living in Africa, remembers growing up and seeing people who didn’t have access to electricity. Decades later, to his frustration, that situation isn’t much changed, and so he’s becoming a clean energy entrepreneur as a little side project with ambitious aims.

He said, “My passion has always been to try to be a part of building infrastructure in Africa. We ran into a challenge every time in areas where infrastructure was planned on being built, but there was no electricity grid set up in those areas. So that became one of the biggest problems on why the development of Africa has been so slow. There’s still kerosene lamps and candles being lit today.”

His self-titled project, “Akon Lighting Africa,” isn’t so much a celebrity whim as a major endeavour that hopes to electrify one million homes by the end of 2014 with solar energy, which is cheaper and more portable for rural villages. The Grammy-nominated star is putting some of his own money behind the project and the remainder will be financed via a public-private partnership with governments, banks, non-governmental organisations, and his own Akon Corporation.

A nine-country tour in February, where Akon and partners met with heads of state and energy ministers, resulted in early success.

He said, “We’ve closed four contracts and another three are still being in negotiation. So it’s looking really good.

“We’re close to 200,000 (homes electrified), so I’m thinking by the end of 2014 we should be able to achieve that goal for sure.

“In each country, the partners are funding the electrification of one village to demonstrate their work. The rest will be financed by investors, where countries will pay back the loans. The group will be hiring and training locals to build and maintain the installations.”

Electrifying one million households sounds ambitious, but it’s still a drop in bucket compared to the energy needs of Africa. The International Energy Agency estimated in 2009 that 587 million people still lived without electricity on the continent.

More about Akon

The Senegalese American R&B and hip hop recording artist and songwriter is one of the world’s richest hip-hop stars with a net worth of $80m (N13.6bn).

Akon is one of the most notable rappers in the world and apart from that, his business ventures have made him a rich man.

It is noteworthy that Akon’s 2004 debut album ‘Trouble’ went platinum and became his first commercial successful album. After that, Akon has repeatedly received many awards and platinum.

Akon is probably the only rapper that holds the number one and two positions in the Billboard Hot 100. He is also probably the most successful rapper in Hollywood since he has received platinum six times and five Grammy Awards nominations.

Forbes Magazine has also placed the Senegalese-born rapper in number 80 on its celebrity top 100 list.

Aside from his successful music career, Akon also earns money from endorsements and personal businesses.

In 2010, Pepsi chose Akon as the producer to record their single “Oh Africa”. As that was not enough, Akon also launched his own clothing line named ‘Konvict Clothing’ in 2007.

With a combination of his musical and business careers, Forbes reported that Akon’s annual earnings were $12m (N1.9bn) in 2008, $20m (N3.2bn) in 2009, $21m (N3.3bn) in 2010 and $13m (about N2bn) in 2011.

But Akon doesn’t just make money; he spends it too.

The ‘Lonely’ singer has some beautiful homes and some of the world’s super cars to show for his money.

The hip-hop singer owns an 8,697sqft home in Georgia, USA which he bought in January 2008 for a reported sum of $1.6m (N280.5m). Set on 4.6 acre piece of land, the six-bedroom home finds place in the Atlanta National Country Club.

The mammoth mansion features six comfy bedrooms, eight full baths and two half baths, a gorgeous swimming pool, a spa, seven fireplaces and a 20 by 30-foot kitchen.

The lavish home also includes a game room, a six-car garage, a media room, a dining room holding space for 12 people, a separate bar, billiards area, and a panelled library.

Aside from the Georgia home, Akon also owns a unique ultra modern estate in Atlanta which he bought for about $2m (about N456.5m) in February 2007. The musician’s house has hosted high-profile memorable parties, like the star-studded Fantasy Island bash which music mogul, Devyne Stephens, threw for his 40th birthday.

Hobbies

Football is definitely a backbreaking yet exciting game, and it works the same way for the Grammy-nominated artist Akon, who loves playing the game when not recording in studios.

Akon was spotted playing the football at an event held in Carson, California, during which the musician appeared to have transformed into a professional football player. The eminent music artist was also hired as a musical director for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

His powerful autos

When you have a lot of money, you’ve got to show you’ve got it, and definitely, Akon has chosen to spend his on some of the world’s super cars.

The artist owns a white Porsche Panamera, customised by the Exclusive Motoring Company in Miami. Equipped with a commanding V8 engine, the four-seat sedan accelerates from 0-60mph in just 3.5 seconds. It features staggered black and white Savini wheels and an active three-mode suspension, which makes the ride extremely comfortable. The highly engineered driving machine incorporates a beautiful and quiet cabin with exceptionally comfortable front and rear seats.

His customised Ferrari 458 Italia is surely one of his favourites as the musician is often spotted driving the car. The car is equipped with a 4.5 litre V8 engine producing 570hp. Italia’s white gleaming exteriors make a grand on road presence while its comfy and spacious interiors make the ride more enjoyable for everyone.

The musician’s car collection also features a white Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster, which has a dazzling exterior and equally bright red interior.

Another wonder vehicle yet to be added to the Akon’s existing car collection is the ‘Dartz Prombron SUV’, which he plans to buy soon. Some noticeable features of the Dartz truck include white exterior trim, Asanti wheels, a 360-degree video surveillance system, front row with Recaro seats and massage seats at the back.

Akon has a giving heart

The rapper doesn’t just lavish his wealth on homes and cars. He also supports a number of causes including the ambitious plan of bringing smiles to 1,000 homes in Africa through electricity.