By Ximena Quiroz, LIS-Water
The water and sanitation sector in Portuguese-speaking countries has taken a decisive step towards stronger and more coordinated regulation with the creation of LusoReg, the first network of Lusophone regulators. This initiative, facilitated by LIS-Water and its partners, aims to strengthen cooperation among regulators from Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Portugal, and São Tomé and Príncipe, fostering the exchange of knowledge, strategies, and best practices to ensure sustainable and high-quality services.
For the next two years, ERSAR (Portugal) will lead LusoReg as its first president, working alongside ABAR (Brazil) and AURA (Mozambique) as vice presidents. Their leadership will be instrumental in strengthening regulatory cooperation and enhancing water governance across Lusophone countries.
Underlining the importance of this milestone, Emídio Sousa, Portugal’s Secretary of State for the Environment, highlighted the crucial role of international cooperation in strengthening regulation across Lusophone countries. He emphasised LusoReg’s strategic importance in aligning policies and sharing best practices to ensure effective and sustainable water governance.
LusoReg is not just a platform for collaboration among its members—it also paves the way for greater integration with international networks and associations such as the International Water Association (IWA), ADERASA in Latin America, WAREG in Europe, and ESAWAS in Africa. Additionally, it strengthens ties with multilateral institutions like the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the African Development Bank (AfDB). These partnerships will provide Lusophone regulators with access to global expertise, funding, and innovative tools to tackle common challenges such as universal water access, climate resilience, and sector sustainability.
WaterGov: Data-driven innovation for stronger regulation
Innovation plays a key role in advancing regulatory governance. The WaterGov platform, developed by LIS-Water in partnership with IDB and ADERASA, has been recognised by both the IDB and the World Bank as a crucial tool for strengthening water governance. WaterGov enables regulators to assess their frameworks, identify areas for improvement, and develop concrete action plans tailored to each country. By facilitating peer-to-peer learning and sharing global best practices, this tool helps accelerate regulatory improvements worldwide.
The creation of LusoReg opens new opportunities for collaboration with global institutions committed to water governance. In this context, IWA emerges as a key partner in knowledge-sharing and innovation in the sector. Moving forward, LusoReg and IWA can explore synergies to strengthen capacity-building initiatives, promote regulatory best practices, and enhance the role of data-driven decision-making in water and sanitation services.
With the launch of LusoReg and the momentum behind WaterGov, Portuguese-speaking countries are taking a bold step toward more efficient, innovative, and future-ready regulation. Collaboration, shared knowledge, and digital transformation will be essential to ensure that water and sanitation services remain accessible to all—today and for generations to come.
