ALGERIA: Government and GIZ launch the “green municipalities” project

By Boris Ngounou – Published on December 9 2020 / Modified on December 9 2020 afrik21

The Ministry of the Interior, Local Government and Spatial Planning (MICLAT) and the German Cooperation Agency (GIZ) signed the contract for the implementation of the “green municipalities” project on December 7^th, 2020 in Algiers. Spreading out until 2023, this project will consist of the development of sustainable communal energy plans in four pilot communes, as well as the setting up of scoreboards for monitoring energy consumption in thirty pilot communes.

This project will result in a sustainable reduction in energy consumption in the pilot municipalities, improved energy management at municipal level, the extension of the results to the other municipalities in the country (nearly 1,500) and the creation of an incentive framework for the promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency at municipal level. “Green Communes will contribute to the achievement of two Sustainable Development Goals (SDOs), namely SDO 7 aimed at guaranteeing access for all to clean energy at an affordable cost and SDO 11 aimed at achieving sustainable cities and towns,” says Ella Schieber, the resident director of the GIZ in Algeria.

Another fruit of Algerian-German energy cooperation

The “green municipalities” project was born out of the Algerian-German energy cooperation, concluded in 2015. Through this cooperation, Germany supports Algeria in the development and integration of renewable energies into the networks, the establishment of financing mechanisms for renewable energies, the improvement of energy efficiency in industry, and the macroeconomic modelling of long-term energy scenarios.

One of the first fruits of this cooperation was born in 2019. It is Algeria’s first ever energy efficiency network, a platform made up of eight Algerian companies from the private and public sectors, whose missions are to advance the use of renewable energy resources and improve energy efficiency in industry.

Boris Ngounou