Under former President Barack Obama, the Trump administration has undone a decade-long US foreign assistance initiative to increase electricity access in Africa. Power Africa, which was launched by former President Barack Obama, was established to increase the installation of 30 gigawatts of cleaner energy and to extend electricity to 60 million homes and businesses across the continent. Sources have informed The Washington Post that almost all of Power Africa’s programs have been ended, and most of its staff have been let go. It remains to be seen whether some initiatives that would connect U.S. businesses with African projects will continue under different agencies, but for all intents and purposes, the program has been shut down. The State Department has said that U.S. aid programs are being reviewed in order to bring them into line with “national interests.” Power Africa, which was implemented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), served as a key role in coordinating private sector investments, providing technical expertise, and facilitating government to government partnerships. The offshoot of the initiative is that the sub-Saharan Africa, where almost 50 percent of the 1.3 billion population lacks access to reliable electricity, will be hit hard. Since taking office, the Trump administration has reviewed the budget of USAID, accusing it of misusing American people’s money. He named Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the acting administrator, leaving thousands of employees on administrative leave. Power Africa was criticized early on for slow progress, but it ultimately facilitated the addition of 14,300 megawatts of electricity reaching financial close and facilitated more than 41 million new or improved energy connections. The shutdown of the initiative has left the future of electricity access in Africa dark; this has sparked questions on the energy development of the continent in the future.
Trump Threatening Electricity Access in Africa
