• Special Envoy on Gender at the African Development Bank, Geraldine Joslyn Fraser-Moleketi
• Young Entrepreneur Charity Wanjiku
• Distinguished Guests
• Ladies and Gentlemen

It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Women in Energy Luncheon at the East Africa Power Industry Convention. It is my honor to share the podium with such a distinguished.

This event is being sponsored by Power Africa’s Women in African Power network and the African Development Bank. On behalf of Power Africa, Women in African Power and AfDB, I would like to thank you for attending and express my hopes that you will find this event informative and enjoyable.

On his 2013 visit to the African Continent, President Obama launched Power Africa, which is a U.S. Government Presidential Initiative aimed at doubling access to electricity in Sub Saharan Africa. The specific goals are to add 30,000 MW and 60 million new connections by 2030.

Those are ambitious goals; goals that USAID cannot reach on its own. Therefore, Power Africa is building partnerships and drawing on the combined expertise and abilities of 12 U.S. Government agencies, the donor community, African governments, and more than 120 private sector partners.

The AfDB has been an important Power Africa partner since the initiative was launched in 2013. AfDB has exceeded its initial commitment to the partnership, investing $4.4B towards Power Africa’s goals!

Through these partnerships, Power Africa is consolidating the resources and global know-how of all of our partners, and putting these tools in the hands of our African partners. This combination of resources and know-how is generating opportunities for our African partner can advance the energy sector themselves and control Africa’s energy destiny. Of course Kenya understands this as the initiative was launched here.

When we speak to the importance of partnership, and African ownership we mean all Africans. We know that Africa cannot create a sustainable energy sector while ignoring the needs and talents of half of its population.

As President Obama has explained, “Imagine if you have a team and you don’t let half of the team play. That's stupid. That makes no sense. And the evidence shows that communities that give their daughters the same opportunities as their sons, they are more peaceful, they are more prosperous, they develop faster, they are more likely to succeed."

Advancing the full participation of women and girls in the political, economic and social realms of their countries is a key goal of U.S. foreign policy. As such, promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment is a critical component of Power Africa.

Launched by Power Africa, Women in African Power is a network aimed at elevating the presence of women in Africa’s energy sector. Power Africa established the network both in recognition of the role that women currently play the sector, but also the tremendous potential women play in shaping the future of this vibrant sector.

The network is comprised of men and women alike, both on the continent and around the world. Our members are committed to promoting women’s advancement in Africa’s energy sector, because they recognize that we cannot meet Africa’s energy challenge while ignoring the needs of and the talents of half of our population.

By virtue of your being here today, we know you share this same belief and we invite you to join the Women in African Power network. Joining the community will allow you to network with other women in your field, learn about efforts to mainstream gender into energy sector programs, policies and projects, and gain exposure to new business opportunities. There should be fliers available here today for you to learn more.

Hosting events like this one today, allows us to celebrate women’s contribution to this sector. It allows you to network with thought leaders and rising stars in your field.

Power Africa is especially pleased to be hosting today’s event with our co-sponsors, the African Development Bank. The AfDB has demonstrated a strong commitment to gender equality and female empowerment.

In fact, the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF), in partnership with GE Africa, will soon be launching the “Off Grid Energy Challenge” for women energy entrepreneurs. This program will offer $100,000 grants to support African women innovators in the off grid space.

This is the kind of African ownership and control Power Africa supports, so it is with great pleasure that I introduce today’s first speaker.

As the Special Envoy on Gender, Geraldine leads the strategy to mainstream gender in the Bank’s policies and operations.

Geraldine was previously Director of the United Nations Development Program’s Democratic Governance Group. She served as Minister of Public Service and Administration, for two consecutive terms, and was Minister for Welfare and Population Development in South

Africa’s first democratic government. Geraldine served as a parliamentarian and a member of the Constituent Assembly responsible for drawing up the South African Constitution adopted on 8 May 1996. She served on various subcommittees of the Constituent Assembly.

Most recently she was named the “2016 New African Woman of the Year.” A strong supporter of intergenerational dialogue, Geraldine mentors young women and men across the continent on leadership and resilience.

Thank you all again for coming, and let us all welcome Ms. Geraldine Joslyn Fraser Moleketi.