Panelist at AIX: Power and Renewables
Karl Fickenscher is the Deputy Coordinator for Power Africa based in Pretoria, South Africa. He leads Power Africa’s energy technical, policy, and transaction teams on behalf of the partnership.
Karl has worked with the U.S. Government in multiple capacities, including as Resident Country Director for Tanzania on behalf of MCC, Mission Director and Deputy Mission Director in Armenia for USAID, and as a Regional Legal Advisor for nearly 15 years with USAID.
Before shifting to a career in international development, Karl worked for several years in the private sector as an attorney with the firm of Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco, London, and Tokyo. In this capacity his focus was on international business transactions and intellectual property rights, with a significant amount of pro bono litigation for the poor and legal advice for non-profit organizations as well.
Karl received his J.D. from Harvard Law School (1986) and holds a Masters degree in African Area Studies from the University of California at Los Angeles (1993). He also studied under a Rotary International fellowship in the M.Sc. in International Relations program at the University of Zimbabwe (1987-88), and has a Bachelors degree in Government and Politics (Soviet studies) from the University of Maryland at College Park (1982).