NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Monday, June 11, 2018

With financial backing from the US government, solar developer Gigawatt Global Cooperatief signed a deal with the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), to build $1bn worth of renewable energy projects in the region.

The US is supporting the project through its Power Africa initiative set up in 2013 under President Barack Obama’s administration; a programme that had pledged to invest $7bn over five years. The advancement of this deal is an indication that the US Agency for International Development has retained its ability to act even though US President Donald Trump has slashed aid budgets and criticised US involvement in poverty alleviation.