African Bioenergy Background

An established bioenergy industry can reduce a country’s dependence on expensive exported fossil fuels and improve domestic energy security; at the same time as providing it with an in-demand good for export to the international market.
It also creates tangible job opportunities for the communities it involves; with the opportunity for many Africans to be involved in the labour-intensive cultivation of appropriate feedstocks.
Sub-Saharan Africa’s sub-tropical climate is perfect for growing most biofuel feedstocks, with the continent’s abundant arable land also providing a solution to the land-shortages that have proven so problematic across the developed world.
In short, if developed correctly, a well-functioning bioenergy industry can leverage African economic growth on an international level, at the same time as improving the economic and social well-being of its inhabitants. This is a unique opportunity.

By operating in Brussels, PANGEA has a unique vantage point over the EU’s most important legislative developments, which have been the primary catalyst for the rapid growth in bioenergy’s international importance.
Following on from the 2003 Biofuels Directive – which set unbinding indicative targets of 2% renewable fuels in transport by 2005 and 5.75% in 2010 – the EU introduced binding alternative fuels targets in their 2009 Renewable Energy directive, with renewable energy to have a 10% share in transport fuel by 2020.
This created an unprecedented demand for cheap and affordable biofuels, which Sub-Saharan countries are well-placed to fulfil.
Equally importantly, there is much potential to use European expertise to impel the growth of Africa’s bioenergy industry: whether through energy specific development funds like the ACP-EU Energy Facility; high-level conferences such as the Africa-EU Energy Partnership; or the transference of cutting-edge technology developed across European industry.

If this potential is to be realised, stringent sustainability provisions must be implemented to ensure that EU-African synergies remain equitable and beneficial to the communities they affect.
Although the Renewable Energy Directive already contains environmental provisions, and several more comprehensive voluntary schemes already exist, more must be done to ensure social sustainability.
PANGEA advocates a shift of focus to African land tenure systems, and their failure to protect local communities from being exploited during large-scale foreign investment. These should be improved, and the EU is well placed to lead the way.
More efforts must all be made to create uniform and binding legislation for social sustainability; with provisions to protect African citizens and maintain food and energy security. This will be the key to unlocking the continent’s biofuel sector potential.