This lunch briefing is co-hosted by the Brookings Institution's Africa Growth Initiative and the Center for Global Development at Rayburn House Office Building Room 2172. Registration is closed but you can email acopley@brookings.edu for more information.
600 million people in Africa have no access to electricity and millions more have only minimal, sporadic access. This energy poverty has deadly consequences for health outcomes and inhibits economic growth, including by discouraging American and other foreign investment. Recognizing this challenge, the U.S. government’s Power Africa initiative is one effort to increase electricity access on the continent, leveraging private sector, multilateral, and other bilateral commitments. Now, the House and Senate have introduced the Electrify Africa Act (H.R. 2847 and S. 1933, respectively) to authorize longer-term U.S. assistance for expanding energy access and boosting power generation on the continent.
On Monday, September 28, the Brookings Africa Growth Initiative and the Center for Global Development will host an event to discuss risks and opportunities for U.S. support for energy access in Africa, how Electrify Africa might impact current efforts, and how the government can leverage the U.S. private sector to accomplish its goals.
Moderator:
Nilmini Rubin, Senior Advisor for Global Economic Competitiveness, U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee
Speakers:
Earl Gast, Former Assistant Administrator for Africa at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and current Senior International Advisor for Africa, Covington & Burling, LLP
Ben Leo, Senior Fellow and Director of Rethinking U.S. Development Policy Program, Center for Global Development
Bobby Pittman, Managing Director, Kupanda Capital
Amadou Sy, Director and Senior Fellow, Africa Growth Initiative, Brookings
