My new life

Today I am fired. 
Today I am an entrepreneur. 

I warned my friends that today would be hard and Laura sent me flowers and Marki took me to dinner. 

I had to punch holes in my diplomatic passport to destroy it and send a picture in. I had to punch holes in my identify card and send a picture to prove it. 

But it was a much better day than I anticipated, because Laura sent me flowers, Marki took me to dinner, Gregg loaned me a hole puncher, I FOUND the stupid diplomatic passport, and when I lost it, I found it again, and I found the stupid id card, and there were no technology problems.

But best of all, we announced the new company on LinkedIn. 

And then to top it all off, yet another person accepted my amazing offer of no salary and no benefits. Foreign Service Nationals (USAID people who are from the country they are working in, so why do we call them foreign?) aren’t fired until mid-August, so he will join us mid-August. 

Thank you for wanting to read the incredible, amazing, inspirational text that the Director of Communications crafted based on our answers. 

THE A ENERGY COMPANY MESSAGING FRAMEWORK
VALUE PROPOSITION


The A Energy Company delivers local knowledge with international expertise to increase electricity access and economic development across Africa. As development and energy experts who are from Africa and America, we bring the professionalism of USAID and Power Africa and development best practices without the bureaucracy. The A Team offers: technical assistance, transaction support, corporate social responsibility solutions, and ethical and environmental certifications that respect Africa while delivering results.

TOP LINES



CONTINUITY OF MISSION: We ensure the critical work of electrifying Africa continues amid global upheaval and mounting pressures on the international development sector. [We said this instead of, “despite Elon and Donald being #@$%]
UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP: Bridging African and American experience to combine the best of local knowledge while leveraging international expertise.
PROFESSIONAL WITHOUT BUREAUCRACY: USAID and Power Africa-level professionalism and development best practices, without the red tape.
COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTIONS: From technical assistance and transaction advice to corporate social responsibility programs and ethical certifications.
TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT: Sustainable, reliable electricity unlocks healthcare, education, economic development, and, ultimately, quality of life.
AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS: We respect Africans and Americans, building partnerships based on equality and mutual benefit.

ABOUT US TEXT

In the wake of USAID and Power Africa being shut down, The A Energy Company (TEAC) was born from a simple but powerful belief:  Power Africa’s vital work of electrifying Africa must continue! So, when the changing world order and unprecedented constraints imposed on the international development community threatened to dismantle critical energy development programs, a group of dedicated, international development professionals and energy experts, both African and American, came together to ensure this essential mission would endure. 

Founded by former USAID and Power Africa professionals, including contractors and industry experts who had collaborated successfully on energy projects across Africa, TAEC represents a unique fusion of local knowledge and international expertise. We are literally and figuratively half African, half American, bringing together the best of both worlds to tackle one of Africa’s greatest challenges and opportunities, increasing sustainable, reliable energy access. 

Our approach is refreshingly straightforward: we combine the professionalism and evidence-based methods of development best practices with a no-nonsense, results-oriented culture that cuts through bureaucracy to get things done. We believe work should be purposeful and even fun because when you’re tackling challenges as significant as energy access, maintaining hope and humanity in the process isn’t just nice to have, it’s essential. 

We serve mining companies seeking reliable electricity and strong community relations, development agencies looking for trusted local partnerships, businesses establishing operations in Africa, and countries aiming to strengthen investment laws and regulations to better serve their citizens. Through technical assistance, transaction advisory services, corporate social responsibility programs, and ethical and environmental certifications, we help our clients succeed while contributing to Africa’s sustainable development. 

At TAEC, we know that electricity is transformative. We know that with reliable power comes improved healthcare, education, communication, public safety, clean water access, and economic opportunity. We know that our ultimate goal is simple but ambitious: to make the world a better place, one community at a time. The A Team is all in to do all it takes to help Africa thrive! 
MISSION, VISION, VALUES


5.1 MISSION: Reincarnate Power Africa!
To continue Power Africa’s vital work of electrifying Africa, driven by our understanding that unreliable electricity is a major barrier to improving life across the continent. We provide professional, respectful, and effective energy solutions that empower communities and support economic development. With access to even a small amount of reliable electricity, everything becomes possible and improved: healthcare, education, public safety, clean water, and economic opportunity.

5.2 VISION: Electrify Africa!
An Africa where reliable electricity unlocks human potential, drives economic prosperity, and transforms communities delivered through authentic partnerships that respect local knowledge and leverage international expertise.

5.3 VALUES

Respect: We are an African and American company that brings stakeholders together and listens. We treat Africans and Americans equally, honoring local knowledge while leveraging international expertise.
Professionalism: We deliver the dedication and expertise of USAID and Power Africa development best practices without the bureaucracy. Our approach is evidence-based, monitored, and evaluated to ensure maximum impact.
Caring: We prioritise respect and compassion in all our relationships: with clients, partners, end users, and in our own team. We're driven by a genuine desire to make the world a better place.
Integrity: We are committed to ethical conduct in everything we do from the quality of our work to how we treat each other and to the lasting impact of our solutions.
Hope: We believe that with just a little bit of electricity, everything becomes possible. We exist to provide hope and tangible progress toward a brighter future.
Enjoyment: We champion the idea that work should be fun!




Then, with this as her basis, she created the announcement we put on our company LinkedIn page, that shows pride in USAID and Power Africa and our commitment to continue to do good things
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7345842837118169089/


Ukrainian forces took out the Russian 8th army headquarters in the Donetsk region. 

A Su-27 went down in Russia. Russia said they were conducting a training flight and one of the landing gear struts didn’t deploy. As of this morning, Ukraine reports that Russia has lost 420 aircraft since invading. 

There were explosions in the Russian cities of Saratov and Engels, combined with air raid warnings.