Obama Launches ‘Power Africa’ Initiative

Aaron MorrisonJuly 1, 2013January 12, 2016

Photo credit: Associated Press

The First Family’s historic tour of Africa will end tomorrow, but the commander-in-chief has already laid the groundwork for his legacy there.

Over the weekend, Obama turned his focus to economic opportunities on the continent, announcing the energy initiative, “Power Africa.”

The venture, supported by $7 billion in U.S. investment and $9 billion from the private sector, aims to bring electricity to 20 million new African households and commercial entities, The Associated Press reports. An initial set of countries impacted by the initiative include Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and Tanzania.

Obama didn’t set a deadline for achieving that goal, but his advisers said it could happen within a decade, the AP reports.

Aaron Morrison

Aaron Morrison is an award-winning New York area-based multimedia journalist with a B.A. in Journalism from San Francisco State University. Aaron uses video, audio, photography, the web and social networks to tell captivating stories across all media platforms. Over the last year, Aaron has worked as a general assignment reporter for the Daily Record (Gannett) in northern New Jersey. Before that, he spent the spring of 2010 as the temporary legislative relief reporter for The Associated Press' statehouse bureau in Trenton, N.J. In his down time, Aaron enjoys the company of his friends and extended family. He is a fan of culinary arts and dreams of having a home kitchen so tricked out that Julia Child turns over in her grave.