The US Department of State, in partnership with the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), officially launched the African Utility Power Sector Exchange (AUPSE) on Tuesday with a summit in Washington, DC, attended by African and US utility CEOs.

The summit was opened by acting Special Envoy and Coordinator for the Department of State’s Bureau of Energy Resources Ambassador Mary Warlick and Tom Kuhn, President of EEI.

Other keynotes included Abel Tella, CEO of Association of Power Utilities of Africa and Dr Emmanuel Akyeampong, Ellen Gurney Professor of History and of African and African American Studies from Harvard University.

This exchange, hosted by the Department of State’s Bureau of Energy Resources, is part of Power Africa, a US Government-led initiative with the goal of increasing electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa by adding more than 30 000 MW of reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity generation capacity and 60-million new home and business connections.

Utility CEOs from six African nations met their counterparts from the US, Canada, Europe and Asia to discuss a range of cutting edge power sector management issues such as the integration of renewable energy onto the grid, providing electricity for remote populations, and long-term sustainability.

The US Africa Utility Power Sector Exchange project, which State and EEI are implementing jointly, aims to advance electric power sector reform and development in underdeveloped markets.

These underdeveloped markets experience the greatest challenges to energy access.

This joint initiative encourages the exchange of ideas and best practices in the management of utilities as both Africa and the US move forward to face twenty-first century challenges.

This public-private partnership combines the best of the private sector with US diplomatic leadership to deepen and broaden US support for expanding energy access and improving energy efficiency helping to modernise Africa’s electric utilities.