The Foreign Service Journal, March 2020

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2020 47 helped the Overseas Private Investment Corporation far exceed its initial commitment of financing $2 billion, with a current deal pipeline of more than $2.5 billion. The Coordinator’s Office has staff dedicated to liaise full time with agencies to ensure we have the best information and tools available to help partner countries and private-sector developers overcome obstacles and get power project deals done. Businesses and governments can knock on one door to draw on an array of tools from across the U.S. government. Assistance ranges from mitigating risk and promoting exports to designing new policies and regulations, and even teaching households how to read an electricity meter. If there’s a tool out there that can help a project move forward, we find it, learn about it, and informbusinesses and governments about it. We want to get deals across the finish line and turn lights on for people and businesses as quickly as possible. Early on, we recognized that even the U.S. government does not have all the tools and resources necessary to achieve our ambi- tious goals, so we reached out to international partners for help. After our first year, Sweden committed $1 billion to Power Africa’s Power Africa helps provide first-time electricity access to homes and businesses in Africa. Here, a young boy studies under a solar lantern at his home in Senegal in October 2017. POWERAFRICA/XAUMEOLLEROS