Biofuels at the level of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern
Africa (COMESA)
Presented to
First 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
capacity building
and
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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