Film star Idris Elba, who is leading a smart city initiative in Sierra Leone, says he took on the project to change stereotypes about Africa.
Mr Elba is building an eco-city on rural Cherbro Island off the coast of West Africa with Siaka Stevens, the grandson of Sierra Leone’s former president of the same name.
They are working with the renewable energy company Octopus Energy Generation.
Wind and solar power generation will be installed in Island City to provide electricity to residents.
Currently, less than one-third of households in Sierra Leone have electricity.
“Are we ever gonna make a profit? I don’t think so, but it is about being self-reliant, it’s about bringing an economy that feeds itself, that has growth potential,” said Elba.
“I’m very keen to sort of reframe the way Africa is viewed. We often view the framing of Africa as an aid model and this opportunity is completely different,” he added.
Elba told Newsday the city aims to attract business and innovation while appealing to vacationers and strengthening the local community.
The actor also plans to set up a film studio there and a retirement home for his mother.
Elba’s mother was a Ghanaian who immigrated to the UK and her late father was from Sierra Leone.