Akon Says His Plan to Restore Power to Puerto Rico Was Rejected and He Knows Exactly Why

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.

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top