US President Barack Obama signed into law Monday a measure aimed at expanding electricity to millions of
households in sub-Saharan Africa, a measure supporters say will save lives and
accelerate growth on the continent.
The Electrify Africa Act, which
unanimously passed the House of Representatives and Senate, leverages
partnerships with the private sector in order to bring first-time electricity
access to some 50 million people in underserved parts of Africa.
Virtually no new US federal funds
are allocated for the project, which instead will use a system of loan
guarantees to add 20,000 megawatts of electricity to the continent’s grid by
2020.
Access to power has been a fundamental
development challenge in Africa, and boosting it will stimulate economic growth
and improve access to education and public health, the bill’s backers argue.
“It’s a game-changer for small
businesses that have to close at dark, and school children who are often forced
to study by dangerous, inefficient kerosene lamps,” said House Foreign Affairs
Committee Chairman Ed Royce.
“And too many families resort to
using charcoal or other toxic fuel sources, whose fumes cause more deaths than
HIV/AIDS and malaria, combined.”
The law aims to build on a “Power
Africa” initiative Obama promoted during a trip to Kenya in July.
This initiative would see the
investment of about $7 billion in US funds, largely financed through the US
Export-Import Bank, in order to create 30,000 megawatts of clean energy
generation.
Through the plan, “we can make great
strides in addressing African energy poverty and promote inclusive economic
growth for communities in Africa and at home,” Senate Democrat Ben Cardin said.
No comments:
Post a Comment