Michael Jackson wanted to open music schools in Africa before he died, says singer Akon

Michael Jackson wanted to open music schools in Africa before he died.

The late Thriller hitmaker - who passed away in 2009 - had discussed the idea with his friend Akon, with the pair planning to help undiscovered talent on the continent by providing them with facilities and industry advice to improve their skills, but the King of Pop died before they could act on the idea.

Akon told TMZ: "It started off as a concept, me and Michael were speaking about creating music universities across Africa, giving them tools and knowledge of the business, to help them polish up their skills.

"Africa's got so much talent. One of the main motivations for going to Nigeria back then, young artists for Afrobeat and things like this, I was aware of opening the door to create that opportunity."

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The Lonely hitmaker has vowed to make good on the plans one day.

He added: "The schools haven't happened yet, it's a conversation we had but it's something I do want to follow up on."

And Akon wants to do more to shine a spotlight on the Bad singer's cultural impact.

He said: "Me personally, if people knew who he was and the stories behind everything, that would be a legacy question. like, do you know what Mike did for culture? It shouldn't even be a question but ultimately, the powers that be in America work a little different when it comes to black and brown people.

"Me as a friend, my job is to ensure people understand the truth of who he was as a real person, and whatever I can do to make a difference in people's thoughts, that's what I can do."