Friday, June 27, 2014

Engaging Wall Street on Power Africa

Source: Africa Update, June 2014

Office of Rep. Karen Bass
Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health & Human Rights

On June 13, Rep. Gregory Meeks organized the “Engaging Wall Street on Power Africa” conference in the Financial District of New York City. The purpose of the conference was to convene investors, lenders, developers and project sponsors to discuss opportunities for U.S. businesses in relation to President Obama’s $7 billion Power Africa Initiative, which seeks to increase electrification in Africa where currently two-thirds of the continent is without access to reliable sources of electricity.

The conference was attended by large numbers of investors from the United States and the African diaspora including General Electric, Goldman Sachs, Aeolus Kenya, Symbion Power, and the African American-owned SEWW Energy. In addition, several high-level U.S. government officials from the State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development, Export-Import Bank, Overseas Private Investment Corporation and the World Bank attended.

The conference engaged thought leaders in several panel discussions that covered U. S. government assistance, public-private partnerships, private sector investment from companies, banks and investment funds in the U.S., Africa and Europe, and project linkages for American companies interested in doing business in Africa

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