Power Africa SOUTHERN AFRICA RESULTS AND PRIORITIES

Government partnership that harnesses the collective resources of over 200 public and private sector partners to double access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative aims to add more than 30,000 MW of cleaner and more reliable electricity generation, and connect 60 million new homes and businesses to power by 2030. Since its inception in 2013, Power Africa has achieved significant progress in Southern Africa. The region has seen a total of 4,548 MW of electricity generation, with 3,803 MW of this capacity coming from renewable energy sources. The initiative has also connected 4.5 million households to power, with a total of 22.1 million people benefiting from the project. In Malawi, the SHS Kick-Start Program brought reliable, renewable energy to over 108,000 households. To accelerate access to dependable electricity, Power Africa has awarded $2 million in results-based grant funding to four solar home system (SHS) companies. These companies, including Yellow and Zu, have provided financial assistance and operational support to help private sector SHS companies scale operations and sales in rural and urban areas. The Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) aims to accelerate the phaseout of South Africa's coal use in electricity production, with a $8.5 billion multinational commitment to promote a just, equitable, and inclusive transition for workers and affected communities. Power Africa has also bolstered U.S. and African private sector innovation through the Golomoti Solar Project in Malawi, which is the first of its scale in Southern Africa to include a battery energy storage system (BESS). The project will provide reliable, renewable electricity and strengthen the national power grid. The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) provided a $26 million loan, and Power Africa provided technical assistance to integrate BESS functionality into the project's financial close in May 2020. The Power Africa programs in Southern Africa have achieved significant progress, with 95% of financially closed projects being renewable energy projects. The USAID-Southern Africa Energy Program has a ceiling of $74,955,372, and the Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) has a ceiling of $3,600,000. The Power Africa Energy Leadership Advisory Facility has a ceiling of $13,005,201, and the Health Electrification and Telecommunications GDA has a ceiling of $47,000,000. The graph below shows the total number of financially closed projects, including the number of projects that are online and producing electricity. The graph highlights the progress made in Southern Africa, with 38 projects completed and 3,180 MW of electricity generated. The region has also seen significant progress in connecting households to power, with 4.5 million households now connected. The Power Africa team is led by Jennifer Baldwin, Transmission and Distribution Team Lead, and Jordi Arimany, Energy Officer. The team can be contacted at [email protected] and [email protected]. For more information, please visit Usaid.gov/PowerAfrica or follow Power Africa on social media at @PowerAfricaUS, @PowerAfrica, @Power-Africa, and @PowerAfrica.