Washington, DC -  On Wednesday, the U.S. Agency for International Development announced new partnerships and expanded U.S. support for sustainable economic growth and infrastructure investment in Africa. The new announcements -- made in conjunction with the 71st United Nations General Assembly and the U.S.-Africa Business Forum in New York City -- include increased Power Africa commitments, a new partnership with the National Association of Securities Professionals, and enhanced cooperation with partner governments and civil society.  

Power Africa Announces More Than $1 Billion in New Commitments

At the U.S.-Africa Business Forum in New York City on Wednesday, Power Africa announced $1 billion in new commitments that will help double access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa by adding 30,000 megawatts and 60 million connections by 2030. Three years after the launch of Power Africa, the United States is on track to fulfill its initial $7 billion commitment over five years, as detailed in the 2016 annual report. Power Africa partners, including African governments, multilateral and bilateral partners, and more than 130 private sector partners, are helping to maximize impact and accelerate private sector investment in renewable energy. As part of growing support for Power Africa, USAID and Standard Chartered are signing a $50 million loan guarantee to support the Eastern and Southern Africa Trade and Development Bank.  The partnership will bring an additional estimated 250 megawatts of energy to Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

The U.S. Government's initial $7 billion commitment to Power Africa has mobilized more than $52 billion in additional external commitments, including more than $40 billion in private sector commitments to invest in power generation and distribution across sub-Saharan Africa. Read more about new commitments to Power Africa here. For updates on Power Africa, check out the Power Africa Tracking tool app here.

2016 Trade Africa Annual Report Release

USAID released the 2016 Trade Africa Annual Report, which details achievements under President Obama's initiative focused on expanding trade and economic ties between Africa, the United States, and other global markets. The report highlights Trade Africa's successful progress unleashing Africa's economic growth potential under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, including increasing East African imports to the United States, decreasing the time to trade goods across borders in Africa, and generating new jobs and investments in Africa. The report is available here.  

USAID Partners with the National Association of Securities Professionals

USAID Administrator Gayle Smith and National Association of Securities Professionals (NASP) Chair Elect Donna Sims-Wilson announced a partnership to increase macroeconomic and financial stability, broad-based and inclusive economic growth, and sustainable economic development in sub-Saharan Africa. USAID and NASP will send U.S. financial professionals to sub-Saharan Africa to help structure investment transactions and provide advice on development finance for infrastructure.  USAID and NASP will also convene a first-of-its-kind U.S. and Africa Institutional Investor conference in sub-Saharan Africa in 2017.

USAID Partners with UK Department for International Development

USAID and the UK Department for International Development (DfID) announced a joint call for high efficiency, low-cost, off-grid refrigeration solutions. The competition aims to drive demand for off-grid solar solutions, such as solar home systems and mini-grids. The competition will offer three $200,000 innovation prizes to reward advancements in off-grid refrigeration technology, while also recognizing best-in-class commercially available off-grid refrigerators. This call for proposals is part of the 2016-17 Global Lighting and Energy Access Partnership, in partnership with USAID's U.S. Global Development Lab, Power Africa, and DfID, and is the first investment focused on stimulating innovation under Scaling Off-Grid Energy: A Grand Challenge for Development.

Open Government Partnership

The United States announced on Tuesday the intention to commit $4 million to strengthen the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Support Unit and enhance its work with member countries and civil society over the next four years (FY 2016-2019). The Support Unit serves as the management arm of the OGP initiative, a global partnership between governments and civil society that works to advance transparency and accountability through the development and implementation of national commitments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance and the accountable delivery of public services. USAID Administrator Gayle Smith made the announcement at a UN General Assembly event celebrating the 5th anniversary of the OGP. The new funds will be used by the Department of State and USAID to strengthen the work of the OGP Support Unit, potentially including support to members in the development of National Action Plans, government and civil society consultations, civil society organization, peer learning and exchange, and management of OGP's Independent Review Mechanism, which oversees independent biennial assessments of country commitments and practice.