ONE Tells US Senate: Electricity Access is Key to African Growth and Prosperity

WASHINGTON – Tom Hart, US Executive Director of The ONE Campaign, told members of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee today that the issue of energy access in sub-Saharan Africa “impacts nearly all aspects of human development including health, agriculture, education, economic growth, and poverty reduction.” His testimony was made during a hearing by the Subcommittee on African Affairs convened to discuss President Obama’s Power Africa initiative.

An excerpt from Tom Hart’s remarks:

“…The world has made dramatic progress in reducing extreme poverty over the last 20 years, cutting it in half. And it is possible to virtually end extreme poverty in our lifetime. But electricity is essential to the kind of human well-being and economic growth needed to meet this audacious goal.

For a small farmer in Ethiopia, what difference would cool storage make in preserving her hard-earned crop on the way to market?

For a furniture maker in Kenya working by hand, what difference would a power saw and lathe make to his small business?

For a mother in Nigeria, what difference would an electric stove and lighting mean to making a meal or lighting and heating her family’s home? Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf wrote in a recent Foreign Policy opinion piece: “In many places without power, women and girls are forced to spend hours each day in the time-consuming task of hunting for fuel and firewood — often a key reason that girls spend less time in school than boys. Women are also disproportionately affected by respiratory illness as a result of indoor air pollution from open fires and kerosene used for cooking, heating, and lighting. Even the simple act of being outdoors becomes fraught with danger for women and girls in some places when the sun goes down and there are no streetlights.”

The respiratory illness noted by President Sirleaf, stemming from inhaling toxic fumes, results in 3 million premature deaths each year worldwide. That is more deaths than from AIDS and malaria combined.  As a career-long advocate in the fight against AIDS and malaria, this fact made me realize this issue could not be ignored.

So, we are deeply grateful to President Obama and his Administration for the Power Africa initiative, which has helped shine a spotlight on this issue and taken the first serious steps toward tackling this disparity in six African countries.  U.S. government commitments combined with substantial investment from the private sector has already started to make an impact…

I’m also thrilled that in the House, Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel have introduced and cleared through committee the bipartisan Electrify Africa Act. This bill would catalyze investments in the energy sector, with an aim to nearly double the amount of electricity available in sub-Saharan Africa, excluding South Africa, and reach 50 million people for the first time. And because the bill draws on existing resources in the government, and leverages private sector capital, these goals can be reached at no cost…CBO estimates it will actually make money for the United States. And I want to compliment Senator Coons and his colleagues, Chairman Menendez and Senator Corker, for considering similar legislation and look forward to its introduction in the near future.”

For the full transcript, contact Michael Fazzino at [email protected]; for interview requests, contact Ari Goldberg ([email protected], 202.330.3577).