Helping Africa go solar

The African continent is rapidly becoming one of the poorest in the world. It's ecology has been decimated by years of colonization and now massive desertification and deforestation are turning once lush jungles into forbidding deserts.
Solar power is rapidly looking like the only solution to many of the African peoples cooking and power needs. I recently went looking for low cost alternatives to using wood for heat and cooking as well as alternatives to petrol for energy and I found two unique solutions that have been tried, tested and proven true.

The first is the solar generator designed by Matthew Orosz, an MIT graduate student. He noticed that that reflective parabolic troughs can bake bread. Now he plans to use these same contraptions to bring power to Africa . His solar generators, made from auto parts and plumbing supplies, can easily be built in a backyard.
The link to his site is
http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?ch=specialsections&sc=solar&id=17169&a=

The second solution is a unique solar cooker that is light weight, folds up and is very inexpensive. It's called the Cookit solar cooker, http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/CooKit
It weights half a kilo, folds to the size of a book and costs roughly $5.00 to make.

My idea on the subject of Africa's growing deserts, shrinking forests and dire need for clean affordable water and energy is to use the aforementioned solar generators not only as solar power but as wind blocks along the edge of the remaining forests in order to regrow them.

In many African countries their are numerous displaced or nomadic peoples who are in dire need of income, community, education and a safe place to raise their children. Who better to hire to maintain solar generators and re grow trees. They could be hired with the promise that in return for taking classes to learn how to make and maintain the generators, they would work in an apprenticeship for two years for a stipend and then take over management of the solar array.

The other perk could be allowing them to use the electricity produced and even sell excess to others by charging the portable batteries many Africans use to power their homes.
By doing so they will be able to make a home for themselves, have a career as they learn the ways of making the solar devices and with that a future for themselves and their children. Also the nomadic peoples would essentially be able to continue their nomadic lifestyle as their town will constantly be moving with the regrowing forests.

Now maybe this is a nutty idea that can't possibly work so by all means speak your mind and let me know. Also if this is being tried or has been done somewhere I would love to hear about it.

The video is of a typical drive through Mauritania...