The
high-profile international musician and entrepreneur, Akon (Alioune Badara
Thiam), Thione Niang - Give1 Project Founder, Samba Bathily - CEO ADS Group,
co-founders of AKON LIGHTING AFRICA, on 4 and 5 March 2017 made an official
visit to The Gambia.
The
purpose of their visit was to pay a courtesy call on President Adama Barrow, as
part of the AKON LIGHTING AFRICA Project tour, to launch the donated pilot
solar project site at Sare Pateh Jamwelly in Kombo North district, and partake
in a Give1 Project Gambia Youth Empowerment Talks centered on the theme: “The
role of young people in the development of a New Gambia”.
Akon
Lighting Africa is an initiative to bring clean, renewable and affordable
energy solutions primarily to rural and off-grid areas in Africa.
The
goal of the Akon Lighting Africa initiative is to provide solutions to the
energy crisis in Africa through innovative, clean and accessible solar
solutions, including street lamps, home-based solar kits, pre-paid micro-grids,
lamps and recharge stations.
Akon
and the Africa Lighting Project team paid a courtesy call on President Adama
Barrow at his residence to introduce the project, and had closed-door
discussions towards ushering the project on a wider scale across The Gambia.
The
Gambia’s first Akon Lighting Africa Solar Pilot Project is a donation of
equipment to the Gambia government worth an estimated D5 million.
The
donated equipment consists of 20 solar street lights, life straw water
filtering system for a local school, solar system for the school, a local
health center, mosque, market area and, through its partnership with Unique
Solutions, a community centre equipped with a satellite TV, Internet
connectivity and charging stations for mobile phones for the community of Sare
Pateh.
The
project when fully rolled out across The Gambia envisages creating over 1000
direct and indirect jobs for the young people of The Gambia, by training those
young people in their communities to install and manage these solar
installations, accompanied by entrepreneurial business models to generate revenue
and improve livelihoods across communities in The Gambia.
Through
a partnership between Akon Lighting Africa, the Gambia Government, Unique
Solutions, Give1 Project Gambia, Ministry of Energy,
NAWEC,
GreenLink Gambia, LG Gambia, Unique Foundation and the community of Sare Pateh
Jamwelly, a town of more than 4000 inhabitants has
been
lit up after being in darkness for over 60 years.
At
the launching ceremony, His Excellency the President of the Republic of The
Gambia - Adama Barrow, was ably represented by the Minister of the Interior
Honourable Mai Ahmad Fatty.
In
delivering the presidential statement, the minister said: “As we are all aware,
energy has been a great challenge to The Gambia, and we are happy to encourage
any meaningful project that will assist in improving the situation. Indeed,
clean renewable energy is the way forward, and it is great to see the likes of
Akon, Thione and their Gambian host Papa Yusupha Njie driving this initiative
throughout The Gambia.”
