Image copyright AFP In February US President Barack Obama signed an agreement to bring electricity to 50 million people in sub-Saharan Africa by 2020. Neil Ford asks, even if this is possible, how many will still be left in the dark? Perhaps the most remarkable things about the Electrify Africa Act of 2015 are that it commits the US to increased foreign aid at a time of economic uncertainty and cuts through sharp political divisions. The Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ed Royce, worked with Democrat Eliot Engel for two years to drive the bill through Congress. The act commits the US government to supporting President Obama’s Power Africa initiative. Although headlined as a $50bn (£36bn) scheme, the US authorities will contribute just $7bn. Other governments, development agencies and private sector companies are expected to provide the remainder in public-private partnerships. This will be difficult to achieve during a global economic downturn. ...
Source: Odd Onion
http://www.oddonion.com/2016/03/01/can-obama-bring-power-to-africa/