Israel, on the 4th December, 2017, officially joined a US-led initiative to connect millions of Africans to electricity.
Israel and the US signed a MOU that sees Israel join USAID. Power Africa, one of the biggest private-public development programs, started its activities in 2013 with the aim of addressing poverty in Africa by adding more than 30,000 megawatts (MW) of cleaner, more efficient electricity generation capacity and 60 million new home and business connections.
Israeli energy firms will receive various tools provided by Power Africa for electricity generation projects on the continent, including increased access to government officials, monetary grants, contacts with financing entities, professional and legal advice and feasibility surveys.
The initiative fosters government-to-government collaborations, encourages private sector engagement and provides experts with energy and finance sector expertise to help firms set up innovative and clean energy projects in Africa.
Making use of its global partners and those on the ground, the organization addresses bureaucratic impediments that could stall projects, provides companies with on-the-ground support to implement solutions, and helps find financing to lower the risk of investments - so that public and private investors will fund the projects that drive electricity reforms and work with African governments to push ahead with policy reforms to promote the power sector.
The aid program manages some 84 projects with commitments totaling more than $54 billion.
PM Binyamin Netanyahu delivers his remarks
