Japan & U.S. Renew Commitment to Energy Coop in Africa

ADDIS ABEBA – The governments of Japan and the United States signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) to expand U.S.-Japan energy cooperation in sub-Saharan Africa.

The two sides renew their commitment to reducing energy poverty and increasing access to sustainable energy in Africa, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Public Affairs announced today.

The signing took place at the Seventh International Conference on African Development (TICAD 7) and was signed by Power Africa Coordinator Andrew Herscowitz and Ambassador Masahiko Kiya, Deputy Director-General of African Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

The MOC builds on over three years of successful cooperation between Japan and US through a previous MOC signed in August 2016 to support Power Africa, a U.S.-led effort to double access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is tasked to coordinate.

The MOC will leverage collective energy investments in clean energy solutions, geothermal, energy efficiency, and support cross-border energy trade and regional power pools.

The renewed partnership will advance efforts under the Power Africa 2.0 strategy, that USAID Administrator Mark Green announced in 2018, to make gains in the areas of distribution and transmission.

Japan, USAID and the broader Power Africa network will coordinate efforts to increase electrical transmission infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa.

Power Africa, the U.S. government-led partnership coordinated by USAID to double electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa.