Singer Akon, who in recent years has created a new lane for himself with entrepreneurial efforts in Africa. Akon’s largest venture to date is his Lighting Africa project. According to the company’s website, more than 600 million Africans in rural areas live without access to electricity. Since its launch in 2014, Lighting Africa has provided some form of electricity to 15 African countries, have indirectly created 5,500 hours and much more.
Akon hoped to bring his expertise and resources to help the residents of Puerto Rico who were devastated by Hurricane Maria late last year. The singer told TMZ on Saturday that he presented a proposal but was rejected. “We would’ve had power up in less than 30 days,” he said.
“It’s politics, propaganda, and special interests. They didn’t care about the people—if that was the case, they would have allowed us to go in and provide the solution,” Akon added. Top Puerto Rican officials say nearly 84 percent of power has been restored but there’s much more work to be done.
