William Kamkwamba

William Kamkwamba grew up in Malawi believing that magic ruled the world and hardship dominated life.  The story of how he achieved his dream of bringing electricity, light, and the promise of a better life to his family and his village—despite financial obstacles, technical difficulties, needing to teach himself physics, and overcome local superstitions—is told in the New York Times best-seller (co-authored with Bryan Mealer), The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope.  Kamkwamba shares his vision for “a new kind of Africa, a place of leaders instead of victims, a home of innovation rather than charity.” He has appeared on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CSPAN Book-TV, and NPR, and has addressed audiences at the 2008 World Economic Forum, multiple times at TED, and at schools and universities across the globe.  A 2007 TED Global Fellow, he was a student in the inaugural class of the Pan-African Leadership Academy in South Africa.