Efforts to expand electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa have been disrupted following aid cuts by the Trump administration, affecting the Power Africa initiative, a programme originally launched by former U.S. President Barack Obama to address energy shortages in the region.
The initiative, introduced in 2013, aimed to double electricity access across sub-Saharan Africa, where over 600 million people lack reliable power.
Initially, the project sought to expand electricity access, but Obama later tripled its targets, setting ambitious goals to add 30,000 megawatts of cleaner energy and provide at least 60 million new connections.
Power Africa, which operated under the now-defunct U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), made significant strides, facilitating deals expected to generate over 4,100 megawatts of new power.
Additionally, it mobilised more than $20 billion in private-sector investments to enhance power generation and distribution across the region.
Programme Termination and Aid Reallocation
According to reports most of Power Africa’s programmes have been marked for termination, and the majority of its staff have been laid off.
Some initiatives, particularly those connecting projects with U.S. companies may continue under other government agencies, but the core programme has effectively been dismantled.
Since taking office, Donald Trump has implemented various cost-cutting measures, focusing on reducing foreign aid, downsizing government agencies, and withdrawing from costly international agreements.
His administration prioritised military spending while enforcing a hiring freeze and streamlining government operations to reduce financial burdens on the U.S. economy.
A U.S. government spokesperson told reports that all aid programmes were being reviewed to align with U.S. national interests.
“Programs that serve our nation’s interests will continue. However, programs that aren’t aligned with our national interest will not.”
The cancellation of Power Africa could slow efforts to expand electricity generation in sub-Saharan Africa, where nearly half of the region’s 1.3 billion people still lack access to electricity.
The programme had played a crucial role in providing technical and legal expertise while fostering collaborations between the private sector and governments to drive energy infrastructure development.
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