Shell and Akon Unveil Africa's First Player and Solar Powered Football Pitch in Lagos

Lagos, Nigeria (ots/PRNewswire) -

Pitch to inspire entrepreneurs and bright energy ideas that open
up access to energy in Africa and beyond

Akon and Hardwork debut new song on pitch that will feature in
music video celebrating potential of renewable energy

Global music star Akon joined Shell to shine a light on the power
of innovative options for access to smarter energy by unveiling
Africa's first human and solar powered football pitch at the Federal
College of Education, Akoka, Lagos. The new pitch is the latest
initiative from Shell's #makethefuture programme, which puts bright
energy ideas into action to bring benefits to local communities
around the world.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151210/294903 )

The football pitch was refurbished by Shell using more than 90
underground tiles that capture kinetic energy created by the movement
of the players. The tiles are the invention of a young British
entrepreneur and founder of Pavegen, Laurence Kemball-Cook, who has
been supported through Shell LiveWIRE. The kinetic energy is then
stored and combined with power generated by solar panels to operate
the new floodlights. This bright energy idea allows the students to
play at night and provides a safer and more secure space at the heart
of the community.

Music superstar and solar entrepreneur Akon joined Shell to
officially open the pitch and continue his commitment to teaching
young Africans the importance of harnessing the power of Africa's
renewable energy. The singer is spearheading, through Akon Lighting
Africa, a large scale effort to develop solar-powered solutions that
will provide African communities with access to clean and affordable
sources of electricity. As part of the celebration at the Federal
College of Education, Akon and DJ artist Philip "Hardwork" Constable
debuted their new song "Tell Me We're OK" in an exclusive performance
on the pitch before its release in 2016. The innovative football
pitch will feature in the upcoming music video.

Osagie Okunbor, Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria &
Managing Director of The Shell Petroleum Development Company of
Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) said, "Shell makes a significant contribution to
energy solutions for Nigeria, and we are committed to supporting the
Nigerian economy and its people. We need bright energy ideas. Some of
these will come from Shell but naturally, others will come from
outside our business. So it's crucial that Shell supports energy
entrepreneurs, and we hope that this pitch will inspire more
entrepreneurs and young people to help us make a smarter energy
future."

Akon commented, "New, reliable and smarter energy solutions play a
major role in driving human progress in Africa. Projects like this
innovative football pitch draw attention to the major opportunity
that Nigeria as well as the whole of Africa have if we look to better
harness new technologies and the continent's abundant renewable
energy resources. That is why Hardwork and I will feature this pitch
in our upcoming video for "Tell Me We're OK" because I want young
people, whether they are in Lagos, Los Angeles or London to think
about how they too can help us make the future."

Shell LiveWIRE is an international programme that has been a
catalyst for young entrepreneurs to develop enterprising ideas into
viable and sustainable businesses for more than 30 years. The
LiveWIRE programme was launched in Nigeria in 2003, and since then it
has trained more than 6,000 youths in enterprise development and
management, of whom more than 3,000 have been provided with business
start-up assistance.

Laurence Kemball-Cook, Pavegen founder and CEO and Shell LiveWIRE
UK Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist in 2011, said, "Our work
with Shell has been pivotal to Pavegen's growth. We got involved with
Shell LiveWIRE and Shell Springboard, and both programmes have really
helped us transition from a start-up to a small company with a
25-strong staff and global IP. I'm grateful for all the support Shell
has given us, and hope we can continue to grow in the smart city
future."

Siji O. Olusanya, Provost of the Federal College of Education,
Akoka, added, "We have more than 10,000 student teachers, who will
benefit from this innovative solution to light our football pitch.
They will be the next generation of teachers across Nigeria and can
use their first-hand experience of this pitch to inspire their pupils
that they too can work towards developing bright energy ideas that
could make a real difference to their community, Nigeria or even the
world. Not only our students but the community that surrounds us will
all get to benefit from this pitch for years to come."

To find out more about how Shell supports bright energy ideas,
search #makethefuture on Google.

Notes to Editor:

About Royal Dutch Shell plc

Royal Dutch Shell plc is incorporated in England and Wales, has
its headquarters in The Hague and is listed on the London, Amsterdam,
and New York stock exchanges. Shell companies have operations in more
than 70 countries and territories with businesses including oil and
gas exploration and production; production and marketing of liquefied
natural gas and gas to liquids; manufacturing, marketing and shipping
of oil products and chemicals and renewable energy projects. For
further information, visit http://www.shell.com.

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Contact:
Shell Media Relations
Precious Okolobo, Media Relations Manager
Email: Precious.Okolobo@shell.com
Phone: (+23)48070365019
Edelman London Media Relations
Meghan Roman
Meghan.Roman@edelman.com
+44-(0)203-047-4045