African government representatives and policymakers to grace 2018 sustainable energy for all forum in Portugal

By Wallace Mawire African countries’ representatives and policy makers are expected to grace the forthcoming sustainable energy for all 2018 forum to be held on 2 to 3 May 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal to deliberate on and advance sustainable energy initiatives in their respective countries. According to the organizers, this year’s forum programme includes a number of government ministers and other policymakers from countries in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean Islands, Mexico and Europe. It is reported that ministers from Rwanda, Ghana, Saint Lucia, Portugal and other countries will be discussing the importance of government policy in stimulating, or impeding, energy access, energy efficiency and renewable energy efforts. They will also join other key stakeholders to discuss critical topics such as clean fuels for cooking and electrification for all in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is added that leaders from government, business, civil society and international organizations will gather in Lisbon for the fourth Sustainable Energy for All Forum. The organizers add that the 2018 Forum, “Leaving No One Behind”, will take place at a pivotal juncture for accelerating progress on global sustainable energy goals — under Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 — and the Paris Climate Agreement. At stake are significant populations that are missing out on education, health, jobs and broader economic opportunities because they do not have access to clean, affordable energy. Closing these energy gaps — especially for ‘last mile’ populations — is the Forum‘s imperative. The agenda will focus on sharing the latest evidence of scalable innovations in providing electricity access, accelerating renewable energy and improving energy efficiency in all corners of the world. It will shine a spotlight on the urgency for bringing affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy to under-served populations, communities and regions that are at risk of being left behind in the global clean energy transition. These populations are especially vulnerable to energy poverty, climate impacts and other extreme economic challenges; yet they also lack a voice, finance and political capacity for changing their situation. Hosted by Sustainable Energy For All (SEforALL) at the Convento do Beato in Lisbon, the Forum will examine the latest data on progress — or lack of — in achieving SDG7 goals. A highlight will be the launch of the 2018 Global Tracking Framework report, which benchmarks annual progress towards achieving universal access to modern energy services, doubling renewable energy and improving energy efficiency by 2030. The Sustainable Energy for All Forum will be a marketplace featuring an exhibition space that will allow SEforALL partners to showcase their work, a platform for leaders and organizations to share their latest announcements and ‘pitch’ bigger collaborations,diverse, cutting-edge voices from Africa and the Middle East, to South America and Asia who are all accelerating and scaling action at the local, national and international level,unique networking opportunities for brokering new partnerships between governments leaders, business CEOs and civil society leaders and regional and sector-focused discussions through 16 Partner Working Sessions. It is reported that other key events will include the fourth edition of the Global Tracking Framework, updates from SEforALL Accelerators, including the People-Centered Accelerator and others focused on industry, business and efficiency, a new interactive website that maps stakeholder engagement on gender equality, social inclusion and women’s empowerment at the nexus of sustainable energy and climate change agendas, the launch of a new report on socio-economic trends impacting the gendered uptake of energy access and SDG7 and announcements from the Shine campaign.