African Union, Brazil and UNIDO organise first High-Level Conference on Biofuels in Africa

The idea of a 'biopact' based on Africa's vast biofuels potential has penetrated the circles of African decision-makers. The African Union (AU), the Government of Brazil and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) announce they will jointly organise the First High-Level Conference on Biofuels in Africa, to take place from July 30 to August 1 at the seat of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

There has been growing interest in liquid biofuels in Africa, mainly as a response to the significant rise and volatility of oil prices. Energy being so vital to development, so far, a number of countries in Africa, the majority of whom are net oil importers, have taken various steps to develop biofuels so as to ensure stable, secure and environmentally friendly energy supplies. In parallel to these developments on liquid biofuels, experiences in other developing country regions also shows that other biofuels technologies like gasification and biogas are increasingly becoming reliable, cost effective and ready for the market. As such, biofuels are fast becoming one of the most dynamic and rapidly changing sectors of the African and global energy economy.

Africa's energy needs are enormous and largely go unmet. Given the continent’s conducive climates, vast unused land resources, the availability of labour and the urgent need for rural development, there is no doubt that biofuels have the potential to provide the much-needed energy for industrialisation and poverty reduction efforts. Other potential benefits of developing biofuels in Africa include: reducing the cost of importing oil, increasing access to modern energy services, revitalizing rural economies and creating jobs.

According to researchers working for IEA Bioenergy, Africa could produce more than 400 Exajoules of exportable and sustainably produced biofuels by 2050, without impacting the food, fuel and fiber needs of its rapidly growing populations. This is roughly the amount of energy currently used by the entire world from all sources (oil, gas, nuclear, renewables) (earlier post). But to materialize this technical potential, and to analyse and minimize the potential social and environmental impacts of a large biofuels industry, the continent needs international, technical and normative support.

For this reason, the AU, the Brazilian Government and the UNIDO hold their conference under the title "Sustainable Biofuels Development in Africa: Opportunities and Challenges" [programme, *.pdf], as part of the global framework of the Strategic Plan 2004-2007 drawn up by the Commission of the African Union, which foresees, amongst other things, the creation of continent-wide strategies and policies on renewable energy.

More specifically, the seminar has the following key objectives:

• brief policy makers, the private sector, regional institutions and other key stakeholders on the potential and risks and trade-offs of developing biofuels in Africa;
• facilitate sharing of experiences in developing biofuels among countries in Africa and between Africa and Brazil and other countries and regions;
• explore the potential and challenges to the dissemination of priority biofuels technologies; and
• consult key stakeholders in developing a program of action for sustainable biofuels development

The 8th Assembly of the African Union Commission meeting in Addis Ababa in January 2007, endorsing the measures adopted by the African Ministers in charge of Hydrocarbons (oil and gas) at their 1st Conference held in Cairo on 14 December 2006, requested the African Union Commission to elaborate policies and strategies for the development of clean, new and renewable energies, particularly biofuels, as an alternative solution to hydrocarbons, in response to the rise in oil prices which has extremely adverse effects on the economies of African countries (some of them are now spending twice as much on importing oil, than on health care). Biofuels can mitigate these disastrous impacts:
energy :: sustainability :: ethanol :: biodiesel ::biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy security :: poverty alleviation :: UNIDO :: Brazil :: African Union ::

The High-Level Seminar will now focus on making sure that all stakeholders - policy makers, government, the private sector and civil society - will be capable to make informed decisions to kickstart a large-scale biofuels industry in Africa.

The Seminar will also serve as a forum for the exchange of knowledge on the potential of biofuels on the continent and on the social, environmental and technological complexities that go with the establishment of a biofuels sector. It will look at the barriers that must be removed to ensure smooth technology transfers.

The Brazilian government will share its experience and knowledge on strategies to implement large scale biofuel production. Its presence at the Seminar is in line with its commitment to establish powerful South-South relations based on an entirely new, sustainable and post-oil energy paradigm that promises to help eradicate poverty and brings unprecedented chances for development in the poorest countries. Likewise, and Indian delegation will do the same and share knowledge on its rapidly evolving biofuels sector with African governments.

Finally, the High-Level Seminar will create a framework for African decision makers, where biofuel policies and strategies can be discussed.

The challenges of kickstarting a viable biofuels industry are high, but the potential rewards are unprecedented. If African decision makers succeed in developing smart policies, biofuels promise to lift millions of the world's poorest out of poverty, develop rural areas, boost energy security, reduce food insecurity and cut reliance on expensive oil imports which are so detrimental to Africa's development.

Translated by Jonas Van Den Berg and Laurens Rademakers, Biopact, cc, 2007.

References:
Médiaterre Afrique: Premier Séminaire de Haut Niveau sur les Biocarburants en Afrique - July 25, 2007.

African Union: First High-Level Biofuels Seminar in Africa - July 23, 2007.

UNIDO: Conference programme [*.pdf].

UNIDO: Biofuels Strategy: Sustainable Industrial Conversion and Productive Uses of Biofuels - Preliminary Draft [*.pdf].