“Lojas de Energia” in Mozambique

Gilda Monjane, Gender Energy Advisor to the Ministry of Energy, has been promoting through the "Lojas de Energia", the possibility of relying on solar energy to help reducing particular difficulties which women living in rural areas face every day.  Solar panels have already been distributed to about five thousand families in several places in Mozambique.

“Lojas de Energia” (Energy Shops) project is a new concept of delivering clean, sustainable and environmentally friendly energy to rural areas located in non-electrified areas or which are already electrified but due to scattered or distant population they have no access to electricity. This project also aims to reduce CO2 emissions and promote rural development and women's empowerment.

In “Lojas de Energia” communities can charge their mobile phones and rechargeable solar light batteries and in some shops you can buy improved cook stoves, photovoltaic systems, lamps, mobile phone chargers, refrigerators and energy saving light bulbs.

Gilda Monjane engage with people of these communities to empower them in order to solve their energy problem. The “Lojas de Energia” idea was designed for disadvantaged rural areas in which women take part as the main target group managing them.  Today there are 35 national stores, of which 25 are run by women and 10 by men.

Gilda Monjane received several international awards for her work, such as the 2015 SEED Awards and recently participated at ALER’s Conference in Maputo as a speaker.