Around 13.5 percent of Puerto Rico is still without power nearly six months after the historically destructive Hurricane Maria. Akon was stopped by TMZ and ask about the situation. Rightfully so, Akon is a part of a collective that has managed to provide power for 80 million people in the Continent of Africa.
“We actually presented a program for Puerto Rico and we got rejected,” Akon told TMZ. “We have the solution for Puerto Rico, clearly. We would’ve had power up in less than 30 days and they rejected us.”
The job of restoring power initially went to Whitefish Energy, a small Montana-based firm. That $300 million contract was heavily criticized due to the company’s limited experience, its suspected connections to the Trump administration and a lack of transparency during the contract’s bidding process. The Puerto Rican government canceled the contract in late October.
Akon’s organization says it has brought electricity to people in at least 14 African countries using multiple modes of solar energy ― including solar street lamps, micro-generators, charging stations and home kits.
Akon goes on to say, “politics, special interest and propaganda.” “They don’t care about the people, If that were the case, then they would have allowed us to go in and provide the solution”.