(Reuters) -An initiative by the United States to increase electricity supply in Africa has been dismantled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration after more than a decade of work, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Almost all of Power Africa’s programs have been listed for termination and the majority of […]
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Trump ends US initiative to boost electricity access in Africa, Bloomberg News reports
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(Reuters) -An initiative by the United States to increase electricity supply in Africa has been dismantled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration after more than a decade of work, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Almost all of Power Africa’s programs have been listed for termination and the majority of its staff fired, the report added, citing unnamed sources.
Some remaining programs, particularly those aimed at connecting projects with U.S. companies, may be retained under other U.S. agencies, the report added.
The Power Africa initiative, which was launched in 2013 by then president Barack Obama, aims to bring electricity to tens of millions of households in Africa.
“Each program is undergoing a review with the goal of restructuring assistance to serve U.S. interests,” Bloomberg reported, quoting a State Department spokesperson.
“Programs that serve our nation’s interests will continue. However, programs that aren’t aligned with our national interest will not,” an official from the department told Bloomberg in a reply to questions.
An email sent to the U.S. State Department’s office requesting comment was not immediately answered.
Power Africa was operated under the U.S. government’s relief provider, USAID, the first high-profile target of the effort to slash federal government spending led by billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
(Reporting by Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru, Editing by Louise Heavens and Ros Russell)