Following the African Legal Support Facility’s (“ALSF”) previous well received and successful series of webinars for Lusophone Africa, the ALSF has now partnered with the Association of Portuguese-Speaking Energy Regulators (“RELOP”) to broaden its reach and depth.
The first joint Lusophone webinar which took place on 3rd October 2023, was focused on “Public procurement in electricity sector projects” and was attended by 45 participants from the public and regulatory authorities, with most participants joining in from Angola, Cabo Verde, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe and Brazil.
The webinar was opened by Mr. Cesar Augusto Mba Abogo, Country Manager for AfDB Mozambique on behalf of the ALSF and Ms. Leonilde Santos, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Cape Verdian Economic Multisectoral Regulatory Agency (ARME) and Vice-President of RELOP.
Moderated by Mr. Marino Bulles, Legal Director at the Angolan Regulating Institute for Electricity and Water service - IRSEA (a RELOP member) the webinar featured a panel of experts with experience in Lusophone Africa, both from the public and private sectors: Mr. Renato Almeida, Partner at Miranda & Associados, Mr. Guilherme Daniel, Partner at GDA Advogados, Mr. Alberto Galhardo Simões, Partner at CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut and Ms. Mariam Masini, Legal Counsel and Regional Coordinator for Lusophone Africa at the ALSF.
The webinar provided a forum for a lively discussion and highlighted the challenges and key considerations for an effective procurement policy for energy projects in Lusophone Africa and opportunities for support through ALSF assistance.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Cesar Augusto Mba Abogo noted that “Despite the Portuguese language being an important element that unites us, it is important to acknowledge that technical trainings in Portuguese language are seldomly organised”. He therefore welcomed the technical trainings being organized by the ALSF and RELOP in Portuguese as relevant to enhance the capacity of the Lusophone African countries. “I am very pleased to hear that the ALSF and RELOP will organize a series of technical webinars, which will address common challenges encountered in energy projects in Lusophone Africa”, Mba Abogo said.
Accordingly, over the coming months, the ALSF and the RELOP will be jointly organizing a series of technical webinars conducted exclusively in Portuguese on topics related to power, oil & gas, and new energy sources from a Lusophone African perspective.
About the ALSF
Hosted by the African Development Bank since 2008, the ALSF assists African governments in negotiating complex commercial transactions, providing legal and technical assistance, and developing capacity building tools in the key sectors of energy, infrastructure and public-private partnerships, natural resources, extractives industries and sovereign finance.
ALSF Academy E-Learning Portal for Africa’s Government Officials, Lawyers, Academics and Professionals
About RELOP
Established in 2008, RELOP Is a membership organisation, which brings together the energy regulatory authorities of Portuguese-speaking countries, with responsibilities in the electricity, natural gas, biofuels, and oil and derivative fuels sectors.
Contact us
Eve Ehoura, Communication Officer: e.ehoura@afdb.org
Mariam Masini, Legal Counsel and Regional Coordinator for Lusophone Africa: m.masini@afdb.org
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