Electrify Africa Legislation passes House

On Monday, February 1, Congress unanimously passed the Electrify Africa Act of 2015, S. 2152. Having passed the Senate in December, 2015, the bill has been referred to the President for signature. The bipartisan legislation calls for increasing first-time access to electricity and power services for at least 50 million people and the installation of at least 20,000 MW of electrical power in sub-Saharan Africa by 2020 using a broad mix of energy options, and codifies the Power Africa initiative – where USAID and eleven other U.S. Government agencies, African governments, the private sector, and the global funding community are working together to strengthen the world’s economies, build domestic capacity, and put countries on a more prosperous and sustainable path.

The legislation sustains the goals that President Obama affirmed during the U.S. Africa Leaders Summit in 2014 of providing 30,000 MW and 60 million connections by 2030.