Barack Obama unveiled a multibillion dollar initiative yesterday to help Africa tackle its crippling power deficit with an ambitious target of doubling access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa as the US president pledged to form a new partnership with the fast-growing continent.
Mr Obama, who is on the second leg of a three-nation tour of Africa, said the US would start by committing $7bn to the initiative over five years. He added that there had also been more than $9bn of private investments committed by companies including General Electric.
The chronic deficit of power generation in African nations is one of the constraints hampering development and stymying investment into the continent, which boasts some of the fastest-growing economies.