Green and Inclusive Energy (GIE)
The Green and Inclusive Energy partnership was a HIVOs’ five years strategic partnership programme that focused on setting the ground through soliciting information, stakeholders’ mobilization, initiating lobbying, advocacy activities, and Influencing public and political debate on energy, with the ultimate aim of transitioning toward greener and more inclusive energy systems.
Some of the activities implemented under this project were part of contributing to the Accountable Climate Action and Transparency Initiative (ACATI) program that is co-funded by the European Union.
Under this project, FORUMCC developed a study report on the “Advocacy Strategies on Investment and Accountability of Decentralized Renewable Energy in Tanzania” to advocate for increased government accountability on climate finance for decentralized renewable energy and enhance the capacity of CSOs and their effectiveness in strategically engaging various governmental, private sector/investors and communities at national and feeding into continental levels.
FORUMCC organized a Stakeholders’ Consultation Dialogue Sessions with renewable energy stakeholders at Courtyard Hotel, Dar es Salaam on Monday 23rd September 2019. 33 participants of which 13 were females and 20 were males attended the session. The participants were from private sectors working on renewable, civil society organization, companies, government, innovators and media to solicit inputs and comments for improvement of the study report and provide platform for stakeholders’ discussion on decentralized energy. The study draft report of the paper was used as the basis of discussion for the session. Inputs, comments and recommendations were provided and then later given to consultant to be incorporated in the final report and the final report that was used as one of the advocacy tools. The session also offered a platform for stakeholders’ discussion on decentralized renewable energy in general.
A total of 132 women from 4 groups trained to produce hand wash soap, face masks and manufacturing alternative charcoal using domestic wastes. The intervention focused on rehabilitating women declined traditional entrepreneurship activities as affected by COVID 19 responses, but also taking advantage of the pandemic to generate income. To the moment trained women and youth (Madale and Tabata in Dar-es-salaam) are running the same business on their own with success. This initiative was supported by HIVOs 2017-2020 and European Union (EU) under ACATI project 2018-2020.
FORUMCC conducted Stakeholders’ learning alliance sessions, one on the 6th of July 2019 at Sabasaba grounds during the 43rd Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair.
The session brought together 151 actors (71 female and 80 male). The actors came from private sectors, government, government agencies, academic institutions, CSOs, individual innovators of renewable energy, and some of the SP-E partners. The session enabled some renewable energy actors to present and illustrate their works and also had an area for exhibitions. The actors that came to this day we’re able to see other works and share experiences through these presentations and exhibitions, but also learn and get informed on areas of policies, regulations, and investment opportunities and information on the Decentralized Renewable energy sector. This session enabled FORUMCC to identify key actors in Decentralized renewable energy and women actors in the sector who can provide the initial contacts towards forming the Learning Alliance and Women Caucus.
A voluntary alliance of 20 CSOs was established and named as Dar es Salaam Stakeholders learning alliance, on the 26th October 2019 during the session that brought together 39 participants Dodoma, Singida, and Dar es Salaam. The alliance was formed with the aim of capacity building, sector strengthening, and decision support, improving collaboration among different stakeholders, joint planning and decision-making and improving transparency and accountability.
In the efforts of building a women’s caucus, FORUMCC has conducted a number of mobilization sessions and plans to conduct more sessions with relevant groups of women with an aim of building a caucus that will be dynamic and representative of the various groups of women who will push the Green and Inclusive energy agenda.
The first the women mobilization activity was organized by FORUMCC and took part at the annual TGNP gender festival on 25th September 2019 during the gender festival event in Mabibo Dar es Salaam. FORUMCC ran sessions under the category of “Movement building for environmental justice and climate change” under the theme Gender mainstreaming and accelerating clean energy and climate action. The session brought together one hundred and fifty-two (152) representatives of which 117 were female and 35 were men from civil society organizations, government, development partners, and academic institutions from across the country. Through this platform, women got the opportunity to learn from each other and discuss the renewable energy and opportunities found in renewable energy, climate change, and its adaptation and mitigation measures.
On the 22nd October 2019, FORUMCC conducted a Pre-COP 25 session in Dar es Salaam whereby, 45 participants from Academic institutions, CSOs, Government institution (NEMC), Ministry of Forestry, and RE actors in Tanzania attended and developed a CSOs National Climate Change Position paper in which we were also invited to give inputs in the EAC position paper (presenting the position paper to East Africa Legislative body and African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) and Tanzania Delegation position paper with the aim of guiding the National Delegation in negotiations during UNFCCC COP25 which was held from 2nd-15th December 2019 in Madrid, Spain. The position incorporated also other theme-specific positions that were developed before this session both on Loss and Damage, and a position on renewable energy and climate finance. The theme of the session was “One position from Civil Society-One Voice, One message”.
One session with 32 (14 were females and 18 were males) members of Parliament of the energy and Minerals committee was organized and conducted on the 30th of October 2019 at Morena Hotel in Dodoma, aimed at providing more information to the members of the committee and highlight the crucial aspects of Renewable energy and decentralized renewable energy in relation to Climate Change, and gave a platform to discuss how relevant renewable energy is to development and industrialization aspirations of our country. Right after this session, FORUMCC was included on the list of stakeholders for this committee and as a result, was consulted for providing inputs and recommendations for the Framework Agreement on the establishment of the International Solar Alliance-ISA.
A Learning Visit was organized at UWAMA (Uhai wa Mazingira), Kigamboni, Dar es Salaam on 27th November 2019 for selected (61 participants of which 32 were females and 29 were males) from local government authorities (Ilala Municipal Council and Singida District Council), CSOs from Dar es Salaam and Singida, Renewable energy innovators and women groups. This session took place at UWAMA (Uhai wa Mazingira) center, located at Kigamboni, Dar es Salaam; to learn and exchange experiences with other stakeholders on decentralized renewable energy and waste management. The visit aimed at motivating the decision-makers and CSOs to advocate for accountability and more investment in decentralized renewable energy. The stakeholders learned how to produce biogas by using wastewater from toilets and producing charcoal by using dry farm maize remains.
The above learning visit was also part of the ACATI project by the European Union on the Accountable Climate Action and Transparency initiative. And the learning visit culminated in a National Dialogue session that was held on the 28th of November 2019. The National Dialogue brought together 75 participants from Dar es Salaam and Singida region of which 35 were female and 40 were male. The aim of this dialogue was to share experience and efforts on climate change issues, waste management, and renewable energy. Renewable energy actors and innovators including women groups also participated in this dialogue where they shared their experiences and challenges on renewable energy for learning as well as dialogue and created plans with the Ilala and Singida Municipal council and district council respectively.
FORUMCC conducted courtesy meetings with the Chair of the Parliamentarian Committee on Energy and Minerals, as well as with the Ministry of Energy and Minerals. The meeting came up with an agreement for FORUMCC and its stakeholders to make a plan on stakeholders’ engagement for preparations of creating a Tanzanian Renewable Energy Strategy that is planned to have its processes start in January 2020.
