Health

New Alliance with USAID to Power Clean Energy, Digital Connectivity for Sub-Saharan Health Facilities

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“Providing solar power to 10,000 health facilities is an ambitious but achievable goal,” said Paul Faeth, Abt’s global technical director for climate and energy and the company’s lead for this effort.


ROCKVILLE, Md. (PRWEB)

Only 28 percent of health facilities in sub-Saharan Africa have reliable power and internet connectivity, meaning most clinics struggle to offer basic health resources such as nighttime maternal and child care, vaccines that need refrigeration, and telemedicine.

To improve essential health services throughout Africa, Abt Associates—which implements numerous projects for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in health and other sectors—is proud to be a leading member of the Healthcare Electrification and Telecommunications Alliance (HETA). As announced today at a White House update on G7 global infrastructure commitments, this growing coalition of donor, commercial, and non-governmental organizations is dedicated to sustainably sourcing distributed solar energy and internet connectivity for 10,000 clinics across sub-Saharan Africa.

HETA is taking shape under USAID’s Global Development Alliance distribution mechanism through Power Africa, a U.S. government-led initiative to boost electrification across the continent. HETA will leverage members’ collective technical and financial resources to promote the uptake, operations, and maintenance of clean energy and digital infrastructure at African health facilities.

Along with Abt, key Alliance partners currently include:

  • bechtel.org, the social enterprise arm of the Bechtel engineering firm;

  • Orange S.A., one of Africa’s biggest mobile network operators;

  • RESOLVE, a U.S. charity that spearheaded a model for the Alliance in Sierra Leone Leone; and

  • WorldVision, a worldwide humanitarian aid organization.

“Providing solar power to 10,000 health facilities is an ambitious but achievable goal,” said Paul Faeth, Abt’s global technical director for climate and energy and the company’s lead for this effort. “We look forward to welcoming additional Alliance members who can provide funding and expertise to bring this remarkable effort to fruition.”

About Abt Associates

Abt Associates is a global consulting and research firm that combines data and bold thinking to improve the quality of people’s lives. We partner with clients and communities to advance equity and innovation—from creating scalable digital solutions and combatting infectious disease, to mitigating climate change and evaluating programs for measurable social impact—and more.

http://www.abtassociates.com

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