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Press Release

African Nations Join Global Renewable Fuels Alliance Citing Enormous Potential for Developing Countries

April 30, 2009 – Toronto – The Global Renewable Fuels Alliance welcomed representatives from 14 southern African nations into the Global Alliance today. The Southern African Biofuels Alliance representing 14 southern African countries joined forces with the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance today to promote biofuels friendly policies throughout the world.

Andrew Makenete, President of the Southern African Biofuels Association (SABA) called on other nations to speak out in favour of policies that would promote investment in biofuels particularly in developing countries.

“Biofuels represent an enormous opportunity for developing countries particularly those reliant on crude imports,” Mr. Makenete explained. “A sustainable biofuels industry utilizing multiple feedstocks will attract investments in agriculture, reduce our reliance on imported energy and improve income levels,” said Makenete. “This is a win, win, win for developing countries.”

Jacques Diouf, the Director General of the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation, earlier last year echoed this sentiment claiming that the biofuels industry can be a recipe for poverty alleviation in developing countries, particularly Southern Africa. In an opinion piece in the Financial Times, Dioufarguedthat “biofuels provide us with an historic chance to fast-forward growth in many of the world’s poorest countries, to bring about an agricultural renaissance and to supply modern energy to a third of the world’s population”.

Global Alliance spokesperson, Bliss Baker, referenced a recent report from the Netherlands citing the enormous energy crop potential in the region.

The Copernicus Institute in the Netherlands authored a study on energy crop production potential in Southern Africa. The study found that, after accounting for food production and resource constraints, Southern Africa had the highest energy crop production potential of all major world regions due to large areas of suitable cropland and the current low productivity of existing farming systems.

“What we need now more than ever are the right policies and investment in this industry if this potential is to be realized particularly in southern Africa,” said Baker.

The Global Renewable Fuels Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting biofuels friendly policies internationally. Alliance members represent over 65% of the global biofuels production from 43 countries. Through the development of new technologies and best practices, the Alliance members are committed to producing renewable fuels with the smallest possible ecological footprint.