Africa looks to biofuels for economic fortunes

Faced with mounting energy crises, many African nations in recent years have zealously launched projects to produce cheaper biofuels, but few have gained steam.

One fervent advocate of biofuels, Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, said during a trip to Brazil, a leading ethanol supplier, that biofuels would set in motion “a new revolution in Africa”. He boasted that the African continent is set “to be a giant producer of biofuels”.
Struggling under the ever-rising cost of fossil fuels while fighting crippling levels of poverty and disease, Africa hopes biofuels will boost its economic fortunes — as well as help cut greenhouse-gas emissions, which scientists say contribute to global warming.

Biofuel production experiments are taking place in many African countries, with a few already investing in facilities.

[…]

In the face of such interest, the eight-nation West African Economic and Monetary Union warned in a recent report that biofuel production is “not a solution” to Africa’s energy problems. It said biofuels will remain marginal and cannot replace traditional crude oil, but simply complement petroleum.

“It could not reach the output levels needed for mass production of biofuels,” said the union.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation has also warned that widespread production of biofuel plants could threaten food production on a continent already facing food shortages.

Mail & Guardian