Obama’s Power Africa Plan Begins Aggressive Energy Roll Out

The United States of America on Tuesday in Addis Ababa embarked on an aggressive energy roll out in Africa, targeting two million households.  Ernest Moniz, U.S. Energy Secretary said the plan was aimed at driving U.S. Government’s initiative investments in small-scale energy solutions.

He added that it was unveiled at the U.S.Africa Energy ministerial meeting in Addis Ababa,  He said the new energy plan comes as part of a follow-up to President Barack Obama’s Power Africa Plan, which targets power investments in six African countries.  The countries include Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia and Tanzania.

Moniz said at least 27 private investors had committed to invest one billion dollars into the plan to provide affordable power connections to some 20 million people.  He said the program tagged `Beyond the Grid’, was part of the U.S. “Doing Business in Africa” campaign, a new foreign policy focused on boosting international trade.

Moniz said the ‘Doing Business in Africa’ plan would also focused on increasing U.S. firms investments in Africa.  AU Commissioner for Energy ElHam Ibrahim lauded the launch of several plans to increase energy access in Africa.  He called on the U.S. to urgently consider extending its Power Africa plan to more countries.

Ibrahim said the Sustainable Energy for All was launched by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in 2012 and the EU-Africa Energy Partnership was being executed.  He said the U.S. plan should build upon the German Energy Ministry’s plan which has offered 50 million Euros to countries in East Africa.

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