End of the year and mandate retrospective

Dear Members and Friends of ALER,

As the end of the year approaches, it’s time to make the retrospective of ALER’s activities. Additionally, it is also the end of the first mandate of the governing bodies of ALER. One more reason to take a moment and appreciate all the work that has been done.

In December 2014, 15 founding members decided to launch this project and today we are more than double. Undertaking the mission to promote renewable energies in the lusophone countries, we built our activities based on four pillars: knowledge, capacity building, representation and communication. I don’t want to be exhaustive but it’s worth to list some of the most important moments of ALER’s activities in these areas.

The Mozambique renewable energy status report was a serious and relevant contribution to increase the technical, economic and regulatory knowledge of all the stakeholders. The online database LERenováveis (in english READ Renewables) and the Directório de Contactos ALER (ALER Contacts’ Directory) are also two useful tools that ALER has made available to all and continuously updates. Finally the Portuguese translation of the Mini-Grid Policy Toolkit, allows a wide public to have access to this valuable source of information.

The creation of AMER, Mozambican Renewable Energy Association, recently launched in Maputo, during the international Conference “Renewables in the Electrification of Mozambique” promoted last October, is also a sign of ALER’s commitment to increase capacity building and support of the local actors.

The representation and communication of the interests of ALER’s Members in several fora and events has also been an important part of our work. We have been designated as focal point of the SE4All in the CPLP and we supported the organization of the “I Conference Energy for the Development of CPLP”, we organized national events in Cape Verde and Mozambique and we participated in several national and international events.

All these activities imply relevant costs, which imply a fund-raising effort before external entities, besides the contributions of our existing Members and new Members we keep looking for. I would like to highlight in particular, the protocol signed with RECP (Africa-EU Renewable Energy Cooperation Programme) covering our activities in Mozambique, with UNIDO which will enable us to focus in Guinea Bissau during 2018, and also the protocol with Instituto Camões which will co-finance the São Tomé and Príncipe national report.

But these last three years, even if full of activities, are only the beginning of a project with high ambition. The Action Plan for 2018, which will soon be approved, foresees a year with great intensity; ALER will deepen its presence in more lusophone countries – namely São Tomé and Principe and Guinea Bissau – and we will also be present at the SE4All Forum, taking the advantage of the fact that it will be held this year in Lisbon, where we will promote the foreseen activities to be held in Guinea Bissau at the end of the year, namely a Conference and a Mini-grid training workshop for PALOP.

I would like to end by thanking the constant support of all Members in breaking new ground, hoping that the already achieved results will continue to mobilize us for future challenges.

I wish you all happy holidays!