In 2025, ALER fostered a true lusophone energy Mutirão

At the time of its creation, ALER’s motto was “to put Portuguese-speaking countries on the map of renewable energies.” I believe that through our activities we have contributed to achieving this objective, as the potential and developments of the renewable energy sector in Portuguese-speaking countries – particularly in Africa – are now widely publicised and, in many cases, regarded as a benchmark. The recent inauguration of the largest off-grid photovoltaic system in Sub-Saharan Africa in Angola, or the impressive levels of renewable energy integration achieved in Cabo Verde, bear witness to this success.

These advances alone would already be an excellent reason to celebrate our first 10 years of activity. But in 2025, we were also part of a change that fills us with pride and motivates us to continue on our path.

In the past year, the Brazilian presidency of COP30 called on the international community to engage in a Global Mutirão for climate change. The concept of Mutirão, inherited from Brazil’s Indigenous peoples, means “a community that comes together to work on a shared task,” and it is also present in other expressions across Portuguese-speaking countries, such as Djunta Mon from the Creole of Cabo Verde and Guinea-Bissau – also used in São Tomé and Príncipe – which means “Joining Hands,” symbolising unity, mutual support, solidarity, and the strength of achieving goals together.

Inspired by this spirit, in 2025 ALER fostered a true lusophone energy Mutirão. In addition to continuing to highlight best practices at the national level, over the past year we joined hands across all Portuguese-speaking countries and created a collective movement for genuine regional collaboration, in which the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. More than simply sharing knowledge and bringing actors together, we elevated CPLP countries by positioning them as a strategic bloc, with a relevant place and voice in international agendas.

It was this movement that inspired the choice of ALER’s new motto: “United by Energy.”

The call for our Lusophone Mutirão was first answered in March at the technical level during the 4th CPLP Energy and Climate Seminar, in São Tomé and Príncipe, and later at the ministerial level in May, at the II CPLP Energy Conference. At these events, which were attended by all nine Portuguese-speaking countries, we consolidated Lusophone cooperation in the energy sector, strengthened regional alignment, and found a common narrative for this Community. These meetings also provided a space for dialogue among CPLP countries, and between them and international partners, highlighting the added value of working together in the search for new alliances and strategic partnerships.

But we did not stop there. As a result of these events, and with the aim of realising the potential for joint collaboration, we developed the 2030 Cooperation Roadmap on Energy and Climate in CPLP Countries – the first instrument to strategically integrate the dimensions of energy, climate, and green finance among CPLP Member States. More than a common agenda, the Roadmap represents a collective, results-oriented vision of development. It is an open document, continuously evolving with contributions from various stakeholders, driving concrete actions and embodying the spirit of Djunta Mon. The Roadmap was launched in October in Mozambique during the I CPLP Energy and Climate Week and presented internationally at COP30 in Brazil in November – the Lusophone COP.

We know that a mutirão is not merely a call to attend events or draft documents, but an invitation to work together to transform commitments into actions with impact. That is why, in 2026, we will once again “roll up our sleeves,” directing this Lusophone Mutirão towards the identification of energy project pipelines and their implementation on the ground, bringing together the public sector, the private sector, and financiers.

I invite everyone to join this Lusophone Mutirão in 2026 so that, together, we can accelerate fair, inclusive, and sustainable energy transitions in every Portuguese-speaking country.