Tillerson: “Nothing lifts people out of poverty quicker than electricity”

ONE Campaign agrees about importance of expanding energy infrastructure

WASHINGTON — Answering a question from Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, President-elect Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, discussed the importance of expanding access to reliable energy on the African continent.

“Nothing lifts people out of poverty quicker than electricity,” Tillerson said. “That’s just a fact. You give people light, you give them the ability to refrigerate food and medicine. It changes their entire quality of life.”

In response, ONE’s executive director for North America, Tom Hart, said:

“It was encouraging to hear Rex Tillerson talk about the importance of reliable electricity to ending extreme poverty during his hearing today. It’s critical. In sub-Saharan Africa, nearly seven in 10 people do not have access to electricity, forcing many women to give birth in under-equipped hospitals, and putting childhood vaccines that require refrigeration at risk. The lack of electricity also forces families to cook meals over open flames, and students to study beside kerosene lamps, filling their homes with toxic fumes.

“That’s why the Power Africa program is so important, and why ONE worked so hard to pass the bipartisan Electrify Africa Act in 2016. ONE had hundreds of thousands of individual communications with Congress to support this legislation. If confirmed, we hope Mr. Tillerson will work with ONE to ensure Power Africa reaches its full potential.”