At the CPLP Energy Conference in Estoril, Américo Ramos announced that conditions are set for a debt-for-climate investment agreement with Portugal, similar to the one signed with Cape Verde. The legal and administrative steps have already been completed, he confirmed.
The Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe highlighted that this agreement will enable the country to redirect resources meant for debt repayment to Portugal towards environmental and energy projects. Emphasizing ongoing priorities, he mentioned that São Tomé and Príncipe has an energy transition program, and this new financing will also support this initiative.
When asked about specific projects, he pointed out “a clean energy project through solar panels” and investment “in energy transmission networks, which are critical for the project to be effective and sustainable as intended.” Ramos elaborated, “We need to address energy production, transport, and distribution.”
On the sidelines of the conference, Portugal’s Minister of Environment and Energy, Graça Carvalho, indicated the agreement would soon be signed. The conference, which commenced at the Estoril Congress Center in Cascais, Portugal, and continues until Wednesday, is organized by São Tomé and Príncipe’s government, due to its current CPLP Presidency, and the CPLP Consultative Observer’s Thematic Committee on Energy and Climate, coordinated by ALER and RELOP.
This event also receives institutional support from the CPLP and the Portuguese Ministry of Environment and Energy, in partnership with the Portuguese Energy Agency and the Municipality of Cascais. According to the CPLP, the event serves as a platform for sharing recent developments and cornerstone projects of CPLP member states’ energy transitions, while fostering new partnerships and investment opportunities.
The first edition of the CPLP Energy Conference was held in 2015 under Timor-Leste’s CPLP Presidency. A decade later, alongside the III Meeting of CPLP Energy Ministers, the II CPLP Energy Conference gathers government officials, financiers, business leaders, and energy sector experts from CPLP and international institutions.
Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé, and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste are the nine CPLP member states.
