US Cancels Power Africa Initiative, Sparking Concerns for Energy Access in Sub-Saharan Africa
The Trump administration has dismantled the Power Africa initiative, a US program aimed at increasing electricity supply across the African continent, Bloomberg reports, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The initiative, launched over a decade ago under former President Barack Obama, is seeing its programs terminated and staff laid off, raising concerns about the future of energy access in the region.
According to sources who requested anonymity, most Power Africa programs have been slated for termination, with the majority of its staff already dismissed. Some remaining programs focused on connecting projects with US companies may be transferred to other US agencies.
“Each program is undergoing a review with the goal of restructuring assistance to serve US interests,” a State Department spokesperson stated in response to inquiries. “Programs that serve our nation’s interests will continue. However, programs that aren’t aligned with our national interest will not.”
Power Africa, operating under the US Agency for International Development (USAID), aimed to add 30 gigawatts of cleaner electricity generation capacity and 60 million connections to homes and businesses. The initiative provided crucial technical and legal expertise and facilitated coordination between the private sector and governments in Africa. Its termination could significantly slow efforts to boost power generation in sub-Saharan Africa, where nearly half of the 1.3 billion population lacks access to electricity.
The move comes after the Trump administration, soon after taking office, accused USAID of misusing taxpayer money. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was appointed as the agency’s acting administrator, and thousands of staff members have subsequently been placed on administrative leave.
Power Africa faced early criticism for its slow progress. However, a 2023 annual report highlights the initiative’s contributions, including facilitating financial close for 14,300 megawatts of capacity, enabling over 41 million new or improved connections to homes and businesses, and deploying advisors in numerous African countries.
