Power Africa Roadmap

Increase Capacity by 30,000MW, Create 60 million new connections

Power Africa is already rewriting the rules for moving energy deals forward in Africa, and advancing “first-of-their-kind” energy projects across the continent. Now, with the release of the Power Africa Roadmap, we are charting the course to an even brighter future.

Launched at the Powering Africa Summit in Washington, D.C., the Power Africa Roadmap shows how more than 120 public and private sector partners, who collectively have committed more than $43 billion to the effort, are accelerating energy transactions across the continent. It also details how Power Africa will meet President Obama’s goals of adding 30,000 megawatts (MW) and 60 million connections across sub-Saharan Africa by 2030.

Specifically, the Power Africa Roadmap outlines how Power Africa and partners will maximize value from existing transactions, advance new opportunities for deal flow, and increase the efficiency of existing electricity generation capacity. It also focuses on how Power Africa will add millions of connections by scaling up grid roll-out programs and intensifying its Beyond the Grid efforts.

Through greater coordination, we will be able to leverage our diverse tools and expertise, ensure coherence, and avoid duplication of effort, maximizing our reach and impact across the continent. The Roadmap offers a tangible plan for how to make our common vision of an economically vibrant sub-Saharan Africa a reality by developing Africa’s rich and abundant energy resources in a rapid, transparent, inclusive, and sustainable manner.

“With a robust financial foundation in place and an expanding group of partners committed to producing results, Power Africa is breaking the logjam on energy infrastructure and keeping eager capital flowing to worthy projects," said USAID Administrator Gayle Smith. "Building on our progress so far, this Roadmap lays out a clear and practical path to achieving President Obama's ambitious vision of bringing electricity to 60 million African homes and businesses."

The Roadmap also highlights ways to use sub-Saharan Africa’s incredible energy resources to transform the lives of hundreds of millions of people, and reaffirms Power Africa’s commitment to sustainability on key environmental, social, and gender issues.

“Sub-Saharan Africa is rich in renewable energy sources—solar, hydropower, geothermal—yet only one in three people has access to power. For those who have electricity, the supply is often unreliable; sub-Saharan Africa loses 2.1 percent of gross domestic product from blackouts alone,” said World Bank Group President Jim Kim. “We must find solutions – in our partnerships with African governments and the Power Africa initiative – that will give millions of African people the opportunity for a better life with something most of us take for granted: access to electricity.”

Since its launch in 2013, Power Africa has helped projects expected to generate over 4,300 MW of new, cleaner electricity reach financial close and is actively supporting an additional 25,000 MW of projects. Over three-quarters of these projects involve clean, renewable technology. From wind parks in Kenya, to solar arrays in Rwanda, and geothermal generation in Ethiopia, Power Africa is putting the continent's vast renewable resources to work. Power Africa's aim is to help African governments build cleaner, more climate-resilient power sectors that serve all people.

The Power Africa Roadmap strengthens our partnerships and our commitment to a fully charged and brighter future for Africa.

Read the Power Africa Roadmap at usaid.gov/powerafrica/roadmap.