Glasgow, 10 November 2021, (TDI): The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Power Africa and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) signed a strategic partnership with regards to climate change in Africa.
The meeting took place on Saturday amid the Conference of Parties (COP26) Summit in Glasgow, Scotland. The USAID Administrator, Samantha Power, joined the meeting alongside several other officials.
The participants included US Senator Chris Coons from Delaware, Senator Ben Cardin from Maryland, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand from New York, Senator Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin, and Senator Dick Durbin from Illinois.
A new strategic partnership between @USAID, @PowerAfricaUS & @EnergyAlliance will strengthen our work to end energy poverty in #SubSaharanAfrica. Thank you to @ChrisCoons, @SenatorCardin, @GillibrandNY, @SenatorBaldwin & @SenatorDurbin for joining today. https://t.co/AKqwTX5zwe pic.twitter.com/RnDlhaOnyg
— Samantha Power (@PowerUSAID) November 6, 2021
The purpose of the strategic partnership between USAID and GEAPP is to fight climate change and eradicate energy poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa by bringing electricity and clean energy to the region.
Alongside the African government, various public and private sectors such as the Bezos Earth Fund, Rockefeller Foundation, and IKEA Foundation have also exhibited support towards the project.
The initiative aims to provide reliable electricity to most or all parts of the Sub-Saharan region by 2030, which could easily be affordable by the public, businesses, and institutions.
Moreover, the project aims to collaborate with African governments to bring universally accessible reforms through the use of clean energy sources.
This includes climate-friendly rural electrification, designing power systems that use variable renewable energy shares at large, and utility-enabled Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE).
USAID’s Power Africa initiative is trying to create a clean energy pathway and reduce the use of Carbon dioxide (CO2), along with combating climate change and bringing the renewables’ share to at least 50% by 2030.
The approach has been successful in providing electricity to millions of homes and businesses in the region since 2013.