The US is providing $7 billion in aid to Africa to address electricity shortages.
This is seen as one of America's strategic moves to increase its influence in Africa.
During his visit to South Africa, the second stop on his eight-day African tour, US President Barack Obama announced a $7 billion electricity aid program for the Sub-Saharan region over the next five years to address the electricity shortage. This is seen as one of the US's strategic moves to increase its influence in Africa.
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The US President also announced the "Electric Africa" initiative, under which the US will invest $7 billion in developing power infrastructure in six African countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, and Tanzania, aiming to double access to electricity for only one-third of the continent's population. He stated that increased trade and investment from the US in the future will create new opportunities for both sides of the Atlantic. Obama also pledged that the US will continue to invest in health programs in Africa, particularly HIV/AIDS programs.
“Access to electricity is a fundamental human need in this day and age. It’s the light that lets children learn, the power to turn ideas into practical business ventures. It’s the way families can meet their most basic needs,” Obama said. “I’m very proud to announce a new initiative. We’ve been tackling issues in agriculture and health, and now we’re proposing ‘Electric Africa,’ an initiative that will double the chances of all Africans in Sub-Saharan Africa having access to electricity. To achieve that, we will invest approximately $7 billion from the U.S. government budget.”
Electricity shortages have long been a major problem for Africa. They have been and continue to be one of the biggest obstacles to development and a major contributor to the continent's rising poverty rates. Africa has the lowest electrification rate in the world, with approximately 75% of the population, or 700 million people, living without electricity. Of these, only 3% of Burundi, 5% of Rwanda, 12% of Tanzania, and 20% of Kenya have access to electricity.
For many years, Africa has struggled to find a suitable energy policy. African nations are still trying to coordinate efforts to solve the energy problem, which stems from a lack of foreign investment. Therefore, Obama's proposal has received a positive response from many Africans.
Professor John Ross, President of the University of Cape Town, commented: “Indeed, this is a new initiative, but a particularly timely and important one. Hopefully, it will yield positive results.”
In the Sub-Saharan region, two-thirds of the population lives without electricity. According to the International Energy Agency, countries in the Sub-Saharan region need an investment of up to $300 billion to achieve the goal of universal access to electricity by 2030.
President Obama is currently on a tour of several African countries, including Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania, to promote investment opportunities for American businesses in this "promising" continent, particularly in the areas of food security and healthcare. This is Obama's first visit to the continent since his re-election in 2012 and his second since taking office in 2009.
The visit to Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania provided the White House occupant with the opportunity to experience firsthand Africa's aspirations for development as well as the challenges the continent is facing.
Following South Africa, on July 1st, President Obama arrived in Tanzania, the final stop on his three-country African tour (including Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania).
According to VOV - DT
