Highlights of first Africa high-level biofuels seminar

The seminar on biofuel development was held at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa, Africa, from 30 July to 1 August, 2007. The seminar was organized by the AU, the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Government of Brazil, with assistance from SEI. It mainly provided a platform to highlight the current status of biofuels on Africa, to brief policy makers and the private sectors on the potential, the trade offs and the risks of biofuels, and to share experiences from various national and regional experiences in Africa and Brazil. It emphasis on the external influences fuelling, such as energy security and diversification, export market potential, and Clean Development Mechanism financing. Brazil shared its bioethanol experiences and showcase the drivers and supporting policy for its biodiesel programme. It also focused on the internal drivers that connected to rural development, including creation of agro-industrial employment, new revenue streams, and improving energy access.