On 17 June, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched a new five-year programme in Georgia that aims to build a resilient and diversified energy market in the country, reported agenda.ge. 

“The five-year activity will support policy reforms and private sector investments to help Georgia upgrade its energy infrastructure and build new power generation capacity. This advances USAID’s strategic objectives of helping Georgia ensure a stable supply of affordable energy for households and businesses and build resilience against malign influence, including overdependence on imported energy and vulnerability to cyberattacks,” said USAID. 

Over the next five years, USAID will deepen its partnership with the government and build new partnerships with private sector stakeholders in Georgia’s energy sector. “By promoting greater transparency, competition, and integration with the European Energy Community, the program will make Georgia’s energy sector more attractive to private sector investors, ultimately making it more sustainable and independent,” said the USAID. The programme will be implemented by Deloitte Consulting.

According to the USAID Development Cooperation Strategy for Georgia for the period 2020-2025, the aim is to strategically capitalise on Georgia’s successful reforms and development gains while addressing challenges related to potential democratic backsliding and a geopolitical environment that threatens to undermine the country’s development gains and territorial integrity. The strategy focuses on three development objectives: 1) resilience to external malign influence strengthened, 2) fragile democratic gains consolidated through enhanced citizen responsive governance, and 3) inclusive high-value employment opportunities provided through increased economic growth.