CURES Biofuels Capacity Building and Policy
Workshop
Round
Table on Sustainable Biofuels regional meeting
Date
and Time:
10-13 March 2008 (Workshop)
12-13 March (Round Table)
Location:
Braamfontein, Johannesburg, South Africa
CURES will be running
the first in its two capacity building
and participatory workshops in the Southern
African region on biofuels, trade and
food security from the 10th and 11th
March 2008 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
It will also host a policy formulation
meeting for NBGo, CBOs and small scale
farmers and small scale biofuel producers
on the afternoon of 13th March. The
12th and morning of 13th will be spent
jointly with the RSB to develop the
draft principles and criteria for the
Round Table.
First High Level AU/Brazil/UNIDO Bio-Fuels
Seminar in Africa
Date
and Time:
30 July – 1 August
2007
Location:
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Programme:
In response
to the rapidly increasing interest in
biofuels in Africa the African Union
Commission, the Government of Brazil
and the United Nations Industrial Development
Organization (UNIDO) jointly organised
the First High-Level Seminar
on Biofuels in Africa on 30 July –
1 August 2007 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The COMPETE
project actively supported this high-level
seminar through the participation of
COMPETE members as speakers, experts
and session chairs.
Prof. Francis Yamba,
CEEEZ, Zambia, gave an introductory
presentation on the COMPETE project
highlighting the pre-requisites for
sustainable biofuels development programmes
in Africa.
1) Implementation
of National Biofuel Strategies
African Governments
should formulate strategies aimed at
addressing critical issues such as to
promote local demand for biofuels as
a share of the fossil fuel market, determine
blending ratios, establish biofuel standards,
recommend production modalities, consider
environmental and social concerns, and
provide appropriate incentives.
2) Establishment
of Legal and Regulatory Frameworks
African Governments
should set up legal and regulatory frameworks
aimed at guiding and regulating the
biofuel industry and enforcing sustainable
use of land and resources to avoid negative
environmental impacts of the biofuel
industry.
3) Promotion of
Integrated Agro-industry Farming Policies
African Governments should take into
account the interrelation of biofuel
industries with livestock, farming,
fisheries, and the conservation of forests
and watershed areas to ensure maximised
national benefits and sustainable development.
This integrated approach is important
for coherent and sustainable water and
land management in African countries.
4) Support of
ACP Biofuel Research
African Governments
should support local and regional research
into suitable feedstock, process and
logistics optimisation, economic analysis
for cost effective solutions, and the
transfer of suitable biofuel technologies
(including the conversion of ligno-cellulosic
material).
Mamadou
Dianka, UEMOA, Burkina Faso,
presented regional biofuels activities
in Western Africa. Stanford Mwakasonda,
ERC-UCT, South Africa, Dr. Ibrahim Togola,
Mali-Folkecenter, Estomih Sawe, TaTEDO,
Tanzania, Kingiri Senelwa, MOI University,
Kenya, Dr. Rocio Diaz.Chavez, Imperial
College, UK, Francis Johnson, SEI, Sweden,
and Dr. Rainer Janssen, WIP, Germany,
acted as experts in various thematic
sessions of the biofuels seminar.
As an outcome
of the First High-Level Seminar on Biofuels
in Africa an Addis Ababa Declaration
on Sustainable Biofuels Development
in Africa was formulated.
Along the lines
expressed in this Declaration the COMPETE
project is committed to continue cooperation
with the AU, the Government of Brazil,
UNIDO and other interested stakeholders
and support Sustainable Biofuels Development
in Africa.
