This brochure was written by ENDA-TM to analyse the international dynamics and the role of Africa around biofuels development.
The international energy community has recently seen an increased interest in biofuels. These alternative energies are perceived  as both an answer to the present energy crisis on a global level and to the global warming problem attributed to greenhouse gas emissions.
Africa, meanwhile, is attempting to position itself in the dynamics around biofuels with a particular concern for maintaining a balance between food and energy security. This position is motivated by its strong demographic growth, the urgent need for the improvement of access to energy and, more broadly, by the need for a sustainable economic development.
This brief deals with energy, environmental and social balances of biofuels production. It distinguishes between first and second generation biofuels and pro and con. It then refers to the need to develop environmental and social criteria for sustainable development of biofuels. Lastly, it puts forth several questions regarding African production of biofuels and its sustainability:

• Can Africa ensure its energy security through biofuels without first ensuring its food security, its environment and its biodiversity?
• With the implementation of international standards on biofuels, will African countries, which seem tempted by the potential of being players in a new international market, ensure conformity with the standards of sustainable cultivation and production?
• Beyond the formulation of biofuels strategies, will African countries be in a position to achieve their aims and be competitive on the international market?
• Is the illusion previously evidenced around renewable energy technologies likely to reproduce itself around biofuels?

By: ENDA -TM / Energy, environment, development programme

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