The participation of the United States Department of Energy and the US Development Finance Corporation in Africa Oil Week’s webinar highlights the importance that the United States places on fostering relationships with the continent.
When the US government launched its ‘Prosper Africa’ initiative in December 2018, it did so with a vision to open markets for American businesses, grow Africa’s middle class and promote youth employment opportunities.
Securing the continent’s energy future – either with its own resources or imported ones – and facilitating electrification for those Africans not yet connected to the grid have been crucial to the initiative since its inception.
Notably, the US Export-Import Bank recently approved a direct loan of up to $5bn to support the development and construction of an integrated liquified natural gas project in northern Mozambique, demonstrating American appetite for developing natural gas as a key “bridging fuel.”
The question of what will power Africa’s energy transition will be top of the agenda at AOW webinar slated for October 7.
Among the participants will be the US Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy, Steven Winberg and the DFC Chief Development Officer, Andrew Herscowitz.
Both participants have a wealth of experience to offer. Preceding his current role, Herscowitz was coordinator of the Power Africa programme, where he grew the initiative to become the world’s largest partnership for development, with 170 partners and $56bn in commitments.
Winberg, meanwhile, has built extensive experience in numerous energy technologies during his 39 years in the industry, including advanced fossil energy combustion, coal-to-liquids, fluidised bed combustion, emulsified fuels, fuel cells, alternative fuel vehicles, and carbon utilisation.
