To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE


SHARE THIS ARTICLE Printer friendly version of this page

Jewish Entrepreneur Known as 'Captain Sunshine' Has Surprising Solution to Power Africa

Josh Shepherd : Jan 31, 2018  Stream.org

"This notion that solar is expensive, that's old thinking. The Holy Grail of energy is in our hands. We are at grid parity today between renewables and conventional power. And the cost of renewables is only going down." -Josef Abramowitz

[Stream.org] On Monday, the Trump Administration announced the U.S. would impose a 30 percent tariff on imported solar panels and washing machines. While some praised the move, many objected. "Tariffs are taxes on families," said Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE). "You don't fix eight years of bad energy policy with bad trade policy." (Photo: A group of children-many orphaned after the Rwandan genocide-surround Josef Abramowitz at the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village near Kigali, Rwanda. His energy firm Gigawatt Global has installed a solar field that benefits the village/Courtesy of Gigawatt Global/via Stream.org)

One longtime Jewish entrepreneur sees this moment as an opportunity. Josef Abramowitz has spent over a decade seeking to develop clean energy solutions that make sense economically. Helping local communities has driven the father of five to give emerging technologies a closer look.

In recent years, his energy firm Gigawatt Global has built solar fields in the U.S. and Africa, with many more in development. A public-private partnership called Power Africa helped pioneer these efforts, which started in the war-torn nation of Rwanda. The Jewish family man began to be called "Captain Sunshine."

Abramowitz contends the cost of solar energy is now comparable to other forms. Willing to answer tough questions, the Boston native who now lives in Israel spoke with The Stream while visiting Washington, DC.

Powering Beyond Poverty

The Stream: What is the mission of the Power Africa initiative?

Josef Abramowitz: There has been a debate for decades: What is the best way to lift nations out of poverty? It used to center on foreign aid intervention, both charity and government aid. Those funds saved a lot of lives and helped a lot of people.

But foreign aid hasn't really been transformative since the Marshall Plan in Europe. The U.S. government, the World Bank and others realized there is actually an unlimited amount of private equity in the world. That's capital looking to make more money. And there's only a limited amount of charity and foreign aid that can be given.

Maybe there's a different way to help nations lift themselves out of poverty by using whatever limited resources we have to de-risk certain markets. Then the private sector can come in with unlimited funding. That's the notion behind Power Africa. It's a leverage play, with a little bit of government dollars to bring in billions in private sector money.

We have to start by looking at jobs, education and health care. Those are the key factors in alleviating poverty. The central element that tends to be missing to advance all of them is electricity. Can you really have good health care without electricity? Can you refrigerate vaccines? Can you really have good education without access to electricity and the internet? And why would you invest in industry when, half the time, there's not any power coming on to the grid?
We need a new way of thinking about lifting nations out of poverty. Access to energy has a transformative effect on African economies. So that's what Power Africa is.

The Stream: How has this initiative changed under the Trump Administration?

Abramowitz: We've seen bipartisan concern around poverty alleviation. Both Bush presidents were very involved with Africa, such as the trade deal that passed and addressing the AIDS epidemic. President Obama sustained and even increased humanitarian efforts. Under the Trump Administration, it's evolved.

The word out of the White House is that President Trump has three priorities for Africa. I'll give you a bit of a scoop from a well-placed source. First, their policies will focus on empowerment of women. That's very interesting and the right thing to do from a development perspective. Second, it is U.S. jobs. They want to prioritize the inclusion of U.S. hardware, consultants and services.

Third, they want to blunt the spread of Islamic jihadism on the continent. Terrorists are trying to relocate from other places where the U.S. has a strong military footprint. They're trying to recruit others to do harm. The Africa policy is centered on those three policy directives.

Changing Lives at Home and Abroad

The Stream: This summer will mark the fifth anniversary of Power Africa. Could you share about your first project in Rwanda and the progress since then?...

Click here to continue reading.







SHARE THIS ARTICLE Printer friendly version of this page

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Other Recent Articles from Breaking Christian News

Missionaries Report Muslims Meeting Jesus in Dreams 'In Levels We Have Never Seen in 1,400 Years!'

#31times You Saw a Trafficked Child But Didn't Know It

Following the Fall of Roe, June Is a Month to Celebrate Life: 'It's a total God thing!'

KC Chiefs' Harrison Butker's Wardrobe Makes Pro-Life Statement during Chiefs' White House Visit on Monday

Americans Believe There Are Only Two Genders By a 3-1 Margin

Nolte: Donald Trump Breaks CNN — Another CEO Is Out

Just the Beginning: WHO, EU Announce Partnership Creating 'Global System' of Digital Vaccine Passports

First Episode of 'Tucker on Twitter' Gets Huge Viewership. Really Huge

79th Anniversary of D-Day: It May Not Be an Official Holiday, but It Deserves Reverence Akin to That of Memorial Day

MLB, US Navy Remove 'Pride Month' Logos from Social Media One Day after June 1

'Incredibly Unjust': Elon Musk Supports Girl Who Spoke Out against Trans-Identifying Student

High School Senior Banned from Walking at Graduation, Loses Job after Saying 'Guys Are Guys and Girls Are Girls' during School Address

Texas Governor Greg Abbott Signs Law Banning 'Trans' Drugs, Surgeries for Children

Italy's PM Meloni Declares 'Family Pride Month' to Counter the LGBT Movement, and Promote Traditional Family

NBA Star Who Refused to Take Knee During National Anthem Speaks Into Chaotic, Dark Culture With Pro-Faith and Freedom Clothing Line

Fox Host: I Was Told to Stop Praying over My Food at a Restaurant—in America!

[Watch]: Capitol Police Claim They Did Not Stop Kids from Singing the National Anthem in Statuary Hall; But the Video Clearly Shows Something Different

'Take Back the Rainbow:' Former Transgender, Lesbian Drug Dealer's Mandate from God

Life Legal Asks US Supreme Court to Dismiss Planned Parenthood Lawsuit

Pastor and Plumber Help East Palestine Residents, Months after Toxic Spill: 'By the Grace of God'



Search the Articles Archives

Keyword:  
Author:  
Words Posted On:  
Day Month Year



BCN Plus

Follow BCN on Twitter
Are You Praying for Our Government Leaders?
BCN Staff

Steve Shultz
Steve Shultz, Managing Editor
Founder and Owner


Aimee Herd
Aimee Herd, Editor


BCN Plus
Are You Praying for President Trump?
 
 

All articles on this site and emails from BCN are copyrighted property of Breaking Christian News. Permission is given to link to, or share a BCN story if proper attribution is given to both the original writer and summarizer of the story. Breaking Christian News 2005-2019. All Rights Reserved.


Breaking Christian News is a division of Elijah List Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved


Disclaimer: Articles and links, as well as the source articles linked to; do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Breaking Christian News.

editor@breakingchristiannews.com