Launched in 2013 by then-US president Barack Obama to support renewable energy projects and expand electricity access, Power Africa operated under the now-shuttered US Agency for International Development.
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The Trump administration terminated a flagship foreign aid program to support renewable energy projects and increase electricity access across Africa, where more than 600 million people – or 43% of the population – still lack reliable access.
Power Africa was operated under the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the first high-profile target of the new Department of Government Efficiency’s radical cost cutting efforts led by billionaire Elon Musk. Over 90% of the agencies aid programs around the world have been terminated since Trump took office in January and some 1,600 federal workers have lost their job as a result.
Power Africa received just over $1 billion from the US since its inception in 2013 under then-president Barack Obama. But that finance went a long way, enabling a cumulative $29 billion in power project finance from others. The money supported the development of renewable energy – including geothermal, hydro, wind and solar power – as well as of power generation and transmission across the continent.
It also served to expand power access across countries and particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where nearly half of the population currently lives without electricity. When the program was launched in 2013, 62% of the population lacked access, World Bank data shows.
Over 150 power projects adding 15,498 megawatts to power generation in Africa, have reached financial close, enabling electricity access for some 216 million users, according to the Center for Global Development. The projects also created business opportunities for more than 100 US firms, providing deals valued at $26.4 billion.
Most of Power Africa’s programs were terminated and staff fired, Bloomberg reported. A State Department spokesperson indicated that only programs “serving our nation” – particularly those connecting projects with US companies – may be retained.
Trump administration’s climate policy tracker (click to view)
- Withdrew US from Paris Agreement for the second time (Earth.Org)
- Temporarily halted offshore wind lease sales and paused the issuance of approvals, permits, and loans for both onshore and offshore wind projects (AP)
- Rescinded 78 executive orders issued by President Biden on a variety of topics, including climate and the environment, justice and equity, health (Sabin Center For Climate Change Law)
- Revoked a non-binding goal set by Biden that electric vehicles (EVs) make up half of new cars sold by 2030 (Reuters)
- Suspended a $5 billion government EV infrastructure program and revoked approval of state EV charging plans pending a new review (Reuters)
- Reversed a Biden administration policy to get single-use plastics, including straws, plastic cutlery and packaging, out of federal food service operations by 2035 (Earth.Org)
- Rescinded $4 billion-worth in US outstanding pledges to the UN’s Green Climate Fund, the world’s largest climate fund (E&E News)
- Appointed numerous chemical and oil industry alumni to the Environmental Protection Agency (The Hill)
- Rescinded a Biden order that established the Justice40 Initiative, which required agencies to direct 40% of the “benefits” of federal climate programs to “disadvantaged communities.”
- Banned US scientist from participating in the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Earth.Org)
- Ordered expansion in tree cutting across 280 million acres of national forests and other public lands for timber (The Guardian)
- Withdrew the US from the board of UN Loss and Damage Fund (Earth.Org)
- Voted against a UN resolution on creating an International Day of Peaceful Coexistence and reaffirming the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs (Earth.Org)
- Pulled US out of flagship $45 billion Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) set up to help developing countries quit coal (Financial Times)
- EPA suspended $20 billion in climate and environmental justice grants under the Inflation Reduction Act (Earth.Org)
- Signed four executive orders aimed at revitalizing the US coal industry (Earth.Org)
- Ended funding for the US Global Change Research Program, the body that produces a report summarizing the impacts of rising global temperatures on the US (The Guardian)
You might also like: Trump Pulls US Out of Key Global Climate Assessment Ahead of Meeting in China
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