Africa lacks infrastruture and regulatory framework to be biofuels player at present, says expert

In Switzerland, the managing director of HG Consulting told the Sugaronline conference that Africa lacks the infrastructure and regulatory framework to become a major biofuels exporter at present. Meghan Sapp, said that South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya and Nigeria showed promise as sugarcane or cassava-based ethanol, but that ports, roads, schools and clinics were needed for the plantations, refineries and workforce required. She noted that Malawi has been producing ethanol for 30 years, and that projects in Mozambique, Nigeria and Sudan were expected to come online by 2010.

Recently, fuel riots broke out in Mozambique, as scientists in Africa have called for a moratorium on new biofuels projects, saying that large-plantation tracts granted to biofuels companies smack of colonial-era policies. Africa is expected to suffer the most from climate change, and maize production could drop by 33 percent by 2028, according to Stanford University.

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization’s World Food Program said that they are seeing an urgent problem with world hunger resulting from rising food prices.

In Nigeria, officials sent 50 officials to the World Ag Expo in February to seek biofuel investment partners and technological expertise. Nigeria is a major oil producer, but the high price of oil has prompted the federal government to use oil for exports while focusing on the development of biofuels for domestic purposes, including three 20,000 hectare farms set up by the government for ethanol production. In related news, the central government of Malawi is seeking engineering firms to manufacture components for an ethanol-based stove, which the government hopes to use to reduce dependence on charcoal, firewood and paraffin.

In Nigeria, the government of Nasarawa State has allocated $27 million to improve agricultural production including ethanol processing. The state said that it would construct an Agro Export Conditioning Centre at Keffi and establish a cassava ethanol processing plant at Doma, in conjunction with international investors.

Recently, Oloche Edache, FAO regional representative for Africa, said that Nigeria will require a 70 to 80 per cent increase in food supplies to meet its food requirements by 2015. He added that the national emphasis on biofuels development, carried out as a part of Nigeria’s commitments under the Kyoto Treaty, would put upward pressure on agricultural prices for the next decade. Nigeria has planned $876 million in agricultural development funding over the next four years.

Nigeria has been moving into high gear in ethanol production development. The Minister of Commerce and Industry said last month that Nigeria is building five new sugar plants and has the potential to become a leading ethanol producer. He noted new new sugar plants are being built in Jigawa, Bauchi, Taraba, Kogi and Lagos states.

Nigeria produces 50,000 tonnes of sugar out of a total consumption of 1.176 million tonnes. The National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) has requested a Presidential Initiative to construct six regional facilities producing 100,000 tons of sugar, 5 Mgy of sugar ethanol, and 25 MW of power for the factory and the national grid.

Malawi has recently increased its biofuels-related activity. Ethco (The Ethanol Company) supplied ethanol and test vehicles to the Malawi government for a 5-year, $1 million study on the impacts of ethanol. Ethco manufactures 2 Mgy at its plant, while Presscane produces 3 Mgy in Chikwawa. Ethco is encouraging the Malawi government to encourage the expanded use of ethanol to offset climate change effects.

Alsop, D1 Oils announced plans late last year to plant more than 80,000 acres with jatropha in Swaziland, Zambia, Madagascar, Mali and Malawi.

Free Subscription to the Daily Biofuels Digest e-newsletter

Related Stories

Global Biofuels announces $750 million investment in sweet sorghum ethanol project in Nigeria

In Nigeria, Global Biofuels has committed $750 million to the first series of ethanol plants in the country, which will use sweet sorghum as a feedstock and will be constructed in Ekiti State. The com...

Kwara Casplex to build 30.6 million tonne cassava ethanol capacity in Nigeria

In Nigeria, Kwara Casplex said that it will produce 30.6 million tonnes of cassava ethanol at new production facilities planned for Oyo and Ekiti states. The company said that it would sequester and m...

Nigeria’s Ekiti State gives 37,500 acres for cassava ethanol project; state aims to become biofuel hub

In Nigeria, Ekiti State has given 37,500 hectares of land to the Oke-Ayedun cassava ethanol project, for feedstock cultivation. The state governor also pledged to Chinese investors that the state wou...

sub-Saharan African biofuels market to reach $229.9 million in 2017, says report

In South Africa, Frost & Sullivan is projecting that sub-Saharan African biofuels market will earn revenues of $26.9 million in 2009 and projects this to reach $229.9 million in 2017. The group...

Today in Biofuels: USDA, DOE enter biocrude race with $944,000 grant; D1 Oils founder may bid for company; Africa lacks infrastructure for biofuels

Top Story:In Iowa, the USDA and Department of Energy announced a $944,000 grant to support a project at Iowa State using fast pyrolysis, gasification and nanotechnology based catalyzation to produce e...

University of Illinois receives $2 million from NSF to study Midwestern biofuel infrastruture needs, development impact

The University of Illinois received $2 million from the National Science Foundation to study transportation infrastructure required for the Midwestern biofuels industry. The study will examine the ext...