While 80% of the world’s population has access to electricity, only 30% of the African population enjoys this benefit. Today, almost 600 million inhabitants live without electricity, particularly in rural areas. In these areas, night-time economic activities are practically non-existent. Women cannot make productive use of their time to carry out the most basic household tasks and children who help the women cannot study at night without proper lighting. Moreover, without access to electricity, over 3.5 million Africans die every year from harmful pollutants or fires in the home produced by costly and toxic solid fuels. Akon Lighting Africa seeks to provide a concrete response at grass roots level to Africa’s energy crisis and lay the foundations for future development. This initiative aims to develop an innovative solar-powered solution that will provide African villages with access to a clean and affordable source of electricity.