A little over a year ago in Cape Town, U.S. President Barack Obama announced Power Africa, an ambitious effort to provide electricity to several countries in sub-Saharan Africa, where two-thirds of the population are off the grid.
How has the initiative performed so far, and what are the main lessons learned?
Devex Senior Reporter Michael Igoe asked Power Africa Coordinator Andy Herscowitz in a video interview on the sidelines of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C.
Click on the above clip to learn more insights from Herscowitz about what short-term goals have been accomplished, the challenges that lie ahead, how the initiative can achieve scale beyond the initial $7 billion, and ways to engage not only U.S. firms but also the local business community.
For the most comprehensive coverage of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, check out daily updates via Storify, and be sure to follow Devex on Twitter and Facebook. You may tweet questions and comments to our reporters Michael Igoe @twigoe and Kelli Rogers @kellierin.
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About the author
Carlos Santamaria
As associate editor for breaking news, Carlos Santamaria supervises Devex's Manila-based news team and the creation of our daily newsletter. Carlos joined Devex after a decade working for international wire services Reuters, AP, Xinhua, EFE and Philippine social news network Rappler in Madrid, Beijing, Manila, New York and Bangkok. During that time, he also covered natural disasters on the ground in Myanmar and Japan.