By Aja Musu Bah Daffeh
Papa Yusupha Njie the CEO of Unique Solution, said Akon, the Senegalese American singer gave five million
Dalasi to a project called Akon Light Project at Sarreh Pateh to light up the village. This was revealed at a press conference held at Coco Ocean on 5th March, 2017 organised by ‘Give 1 Project Gambia’ in collaboration with Akon Light Africa, Unique Solution and Africel. Akon Light Africa has provided solar energy to Sarreh Pateh, a village in West Coast Region with a population of 4,000.
Papa Yusupha Njie said now there are twenty solar street lights, and the mosque and the pharmacy have been connected, the place has internet facility and many other things. He added that he wants young people to come together and do what is called politics of development and action, adding young people should talk less and do more.
Also speaking at the occasion was Mr. Alieu Sowe, the Country Director Give 1 Project Gambia who threw light on ‘Give 1 Project Gambia,’ noting that the initiative started since 2015 when they launched the Give 1 project Gambia chapter. Sowe said that their first activity was farming in the rural communities and that had to go on for 2 years. The other activity he said was the all-girls take project, adding that they have trained 500 young girls and boys until 2016, pointing out that they were awarded the Google Fire Award for Africa for internet development.
He stated that they are trying to inspire young people to be role models in the society and they help the young ones to go abroad for their masters and to participate in trainings.
Thione Niang, the Founder and President of Give 1 project Gambia, acknowledged those who made the day a success and those who made through the Give 1 project.
He asserted that it is time for young people to know that no one will come from abroad to develop Africa and everyone has a role to play in order to develop Gambia and Africa at large.
“If each one us does our part, in few years from now the dream will be a reality because today everywhere you go, in the world the growth and return in investment that you can get in African cannot be gotten anywhere in the world,” Niang asserted.
He added that Gambia today suffers most from the backway syndrome, adding that in Africa 1500 young people lost their lives through the dreadful journey going to look for opportunities in Europe. He blamed politicians for this.
The President, Akon Lightening Africa, Alieu Badara Cham known as Akon, said Africans work harder in everything and they work harder to live and to sustain themselves. He stressed the importance of African unity and sees this as the way out for Africa.
After the conference they all proceeded to Sarreh Pateh in WCR village to do the launching of the first project in the Gambia ‘Akon Light African’.
