Executive Order 13746: Advancing the Goals of the Power Africa Initiative to Expand Access to Electricity in Sub- Saharan Africa Through the Establishment of the President's Power Africa Working Group
President: Barack Obama
Established a presidential working group to coordinate US support for expanding electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa.
Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 13746 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 13746 remains formally unrevoked: its signed Power Africa working-group framework has no termination date, and the Federal Register disposition table identifies no revocation. This does not establish that the original working group or participating agencies currently operate as they did in 2016. Sources: Office of the Federal Register: current 2016 executive order disposition table; Executive Order 13746: signed text.
What does Executive Order 13746 do?
EO 13746 formalized Power Africa, an initiative launched in 2013 and later supported by the Electrify Africa Act. It created an interagency working group, set goals for generation and connections, and emphasized private investment, regulatory reform and technical assistance. The order remains unrevoked, but major 2025 changes to US foreign-assistance institutions altered program staffing and delivery; current activity depends on the surviving statutory, diplomatic and development-finance channels.
Before and after
Before the order
Power Africa operated as an initiative without a formal presidential interagency body.
After the order
Agencies aligned finance, diplomacy and technical assistance around common targets.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Working group | Coordinate agencies and track progress | Current structure changed |
| Development and finance agencies | Support viable power projects | Subject to current programs |
| Private and African partners | Develop and operate projects | Project-specific |
What happened next
The Electrify Africa Act became law.
EO 13746 established the working group.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The Electrify Africa Act, foreign-assistance and development-finance statutes and appropriations control programs. The order creates no funding entitlement.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
- Congress.gov — Electrify Africa Act (opens in a new tab) Official record
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 15, 2026. How we research →