Obama tackles carbon pollution through electricity intervention in Nigeria, others

The White House has said that all the various intervention by the United States government to provide electricity in Nigeria and other sub-Saharan African countries are targeted at reducing carbon pollution and ensuring that people everywhere can tap into clean sources of energy to power their homes and businesses.

The Barak Obama administration has announced new actions to help bring off-grid clean energy systems and energy efficient appliances to the approximate 1.3 billion people without energy access.

According to a statement issued by the White House, along with other solutions, like grid extension and new energy generation supply investments, off-grid energy systems hold tremendous promise to speed the delivery of affordable modern energy services.

It added that improving access to renewable energy solutions has direct positive effects on education and economic opportunities, while also reducing families’ exposure to pollution, providing clean water access, and empowering farmers and families by providing them with the technology they need to stay connected and learn.  “Coming just a month before the Paris negotiations, these actions underscore our commitment to ensuring all countries have the opportunity to power economic growth based on clean, sustainable energy solutions”, it said.

It noted that to bring the promise of clean energy to more households, the United States, through the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) has made available more than $20 million in loans to promote solar energy in 90,000 households in Kenya and Nigeria.

The White House added that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) also announced a new $75 million loan guarantee through the Power Africa programme to scale-up off-grid energy investments across sub-Saharan Africa.

It stated: “OPIC is announcing two recently finalized investments in off-grid energy access, which include a $6.8 million loan commitment to Cloverfield Energy Services Limited for the development, construction and operation of approximately 100 solar-powered micro-grids reaching an estimated 20,000 households and commercial users in Kenya.  The “Cloverfield Project” was developed by Powerhive.