Bioenergy is emerging as a top priority as countries face the triple challenge of ensuring energy security, food security and sustainable development. There has been renewed interest in liquid biofuels in Africa and the rest of the world over the last seven years, mainly as a response to the significant rise and volatility of oil prices and the development of renewable energy roadmaps in Europe and the United States of America.
In late 2006, Ethiopia formalised the adoption of the Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Development to End Poverty (PASDEP) as its official development plan for the next 5 years. Taking the country’s potential for biofuel development into consideration, the Ministry of Mines and Energy has prepared a biofuel strategy developed on the assumption of Jatropha curcas as a principal feedstock for biodiesel production, together with Castro bean (for biodiesel) and sugarcane (for bioethanol). Assessment of a potential bioethanol industry was undertaken in March 2007 and received endorsement from the Council of Ministers in 2007.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development followed suit by recently establishing a 14-member Forum, led by the Head of the Energy Regulation Department and Coordinator of Biofuel Development at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, that enables it to implement the biofuel development and utilization strategy.
In supporting this Biofuel Forum, the UN can take on, in a structured manner, the important task of informing policy through dialogue in addition to its practical development interventions on the ground.
To this end, it has been agreed by the UNCT to sponsor a two-hour high-level forum at least once in every semester as a knowledge sharing / lessons learned debate on selected topics of critical importance to Ethiopia and Africa under PASDEP or a related development strategy framework. To start with, “Biofuel, an alternative source of Energy?” has been identified as a topic for discussion to share knowledge, experiences, expertise, lessons learned and best practices among national and international practitioners with a special interest in biofuel development, invited from government agencies, research institutions, civil society organizations, private enterprises and the donor community.
Goal and key objectives of the Knowledge Sharing Forum on Biofuel
As a global family of organizations concerned with international best practices and the ability to adapt them to local applications, the UN will offer, through this high-level knowledge sharing forum, a rare opportunity to bring together and engage key leaders in political decision-making, private sector investment, researchers, civil society organizations and the donor community to listen, to be exposed to international experiences and ideas, and to offer opinions on biofuel development and its proper adaptation to Ethiopian circumstances.
During this open and free discussion, participants are encouraged to reflect their own personal views, experiences and knowledge rather than representing their respective organizations. This tacit (non-documented) and explicit (documented) knowledge expressed during the forum will be captured, synthesized and disseminated to other national and international development practitioners and the media so that the exchange of experiences and lessons learned continues outside the high-level forum to assist the government, individuals and organizations to make knowledge-based decisions on how to advance the biofuel agenda.
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