Biofuels at the level of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)

Presented toFirst High Level Biofuels Seminar in Africa

Addis Ababa, 30 July – 01 August, 2007

By Mohamedain E. Seif Elnasr, Ph.D. Energy Economist

COMESA Secretariat

Outline of the Presentation ● Introduction ● The Current Status of

Biofuels in the COMESA Region

● Biofuels and other Renewable Energy Resources in the COMESA Energy Programme

● Conclusions and Recommendations

Introduction

• Brief on the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)

Established in 1994

19 countries

The aims and objectives

to facilitate the removal of the structural and institutional weaknesses of member States so that they are able to attain collective and sustainable development through regional integration. On energy, the Treaty provides that “the member States undertake to co-operate in the joint development and utilization of energy resources including hydro, fossil and biomass

Introduction (continued)

● Brief on COMESA

Trade and investment are important instruments for promoting and deepening economic integration in COMESA

The development of appropriate physical infrastructure and facilitation in energy, transport and communications are key

Free Trade Area (FTA) was launched in 2000 (13 countries)

Customs Union (CU) will be Launched in December, 2008

Introduction (continued)

● Objective

to highlight the role of biofuels at the level of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) to address energy challenges

Introduction (continued)

● Energy Challenges

energy poverty

high oil prices

the issue of clean energy security which includes energy efficiency and clean energy supply options like renewable energy

The Current Status of Biofuels in the COMESA Region

● Biofuels and other Renewable Energy Resources in the COMESA Region

the COMESA region has abundant of the renewable energy resources such as biofuels, solar, wind, biomass in terms of wood-fuels (fuel-wood and charcoal), etc which they would play an important role to address energy challenges that many COMESA countries are facing

Biofuels

the COMESA region has a potential for producing biofuels such as biodiesel from jatropha carcus, vegetable oils, palm oil, soybean, coconut, etc; bioethanol from sugarcane, cassava, sweet sorghum, etc; biomass cogeneration; biomass gasification; biogas; etc

The Current Status of Biofuels in the COMESA Region (continued)

Biofuels

Some COMESA countries such as Malawi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Swaziland, Uganda and Zimbabwe have developed large scale bioethanol fuel programme Sudan and Zambia are

on the way

Zambia and Swaziland are also exerting more efforts on biodiesel from jatropha. Mauritius, Kenya, Swaziland, Sudan, Malawi and Uganda produce electricity from

bagasse-based cogeneration. Whereas, biogas digesters have been installed in many COMESA countries.

The Current Status of Biofuels in the COMESA Region

(continued)

● Key Issues of Biofuels in the COMESA Region include the

following:

low public awareness

little production of equipments and components and underdeveloped markets in biofuels equipments and services

lack of mechanisms to monitor standards and ensure

quality control of biofuels tecnology

The Current Status of Biofuels in the COMESA Region

(continued) ● Key Issues of Biofuels and other Renewable

Energy in the COMESA Region include the following:

inadequate financing mechanisms and other incentives to facilitate investment, communication, promotion and dissemination of biofuel tecnologies

inadequate data available on the potential of indigenous biofuels

Biofuels and other Renewable Energy

Resources in the COMESA Energy Programme • The COMESA Energy Programm

The main thrust is to promote regional cooperation in energy development, trade and capacity building

The programme is intended to harmonize energy policy and regulatory issues, develop the COMESA region energy infrastructure through development of medium to long-term energy master plan, and facilitate trade in energy

services

Biofuels and other Renewable Energy Resources in the COMESA Energy Programme

(continued)

• The COMESA Energy Programe

one of the actions that have been identified to facilitate energy policy and regulatory harmonization process in the COMESA region is development of model energy policy framework

Biofuels and other Renewable Energy

Resources in the COMESA Energy Programme • Objectives of the Model Energy Policy Framework

COMESA is on the process to adopt its model energy policy framework whose main thrust is to provide the COMESA member States with harmonized guidelines that would facilitate energy policy harmonization in the COMESA region in efforts to improve efficiency and increased investment

The specific objectives of the model energy policy framework include the following:

it is a policy framework which outlines contents expected in National Energy Policy, countries can then adopt and/or customize; therefore, it aims at harmonize policies in the spirit of regional integration

develop an implementation plan to drive the harmonization process in the sense that to identify principal actors and responsibilities in the implementation matrix.

The COMESA’S Model Energy Policy Framework as it Pertains to Renewable Energy

(continued) • Objectives of the COMESA Model Energy Policy as they Pertain to

Biofuels and other Renewable Energy

The policy objectives of biofuels and other renewable energy include the following:

to increase the contribution of boifuels and other renewable sources of energy in the energy matrix

to utilize biofuels and other renewable sources of energy for income and employment generation

to develop the use of biofuels and other renewable sources of energy for both small and large-scale applications

The COMESA’S Model Energy Policy Framework as it Pertains to Renewable Energy

(continued)

• Guidelines on Renewable Energy Sub-Sector

the main thrust is to contribute to a more reliable, cost effect and sustainable clean energy supply in the COMESA region, through harnessing the abundant renewable resources thereby addressing the region’s energy related supply side constraints and contributing to increased productive competitiveness and economic growth for poverty reduction, in particular poor rural people

The COMESA’S Model Energy Policy Framework as it Pertains to Renewable Energy

(continued)

• Guidelines on Renewable Energy Sub-Sector

the specific objective is to make the environment conducive to renewable energy sub-sector investment, in particular, encouragement of private sector investment and

participation

The COMESA’S Model Energy Policy Framework as it Pertains to Renewable Energy

(continued)

• Guidelines on Renewable Energy Sub-Sector

the main activities will include development of policy guidelines for the development of renewable energy market; and development of model regulatory guidelines for standards and specification for renewable energy technology

Conclusions and Recommendation

• Conclusions

Biofuels and other renewable energy would play a vital role in the energy mix

they would be one of the solutions of the energy and poverty problems that many developing countries are facing

Conclusions and Recommendation

(continued) • Recommendations

biofuels industry in the COMESA region be supported by policy; legislation; improved technology; training and

capacity building; and Research & Development

governments be committed to creating an environment for a renewable energy industry including biofuels in terms of subsidy assistance, regulatory environment, tax holidays, concessions, etc; supporting the implementation of specific technologies; ensuring uptake through adoption of a target for biofuels; and supporting Research & Development.

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