The first conference on “Stakes and perspectives of biofuels for Africa” which was organized in Ouagadougou in November 2007 highlighted the opportunities biofuels embody for the African continent. The conference aimed to create a hub for exchanges and debates between African political and economic decision-makers, technical experts and civil society, through analyzing technical, agronomic and environmental aspects of biofuel development issues as well as its institutional and political dimensions.

The conference recommendations emphasized the opportunities for Africa to anticipate the inevitable shortage of available cheap oil through developing alternative solutions with its biomass.

The world context has changed since that first conference. Indeed, because of raw materials price rise coupled with food and financial crises on a world scale, biofuel stakes have evolved. In fact, Africa is more and more interested in innovative and diversified solutions biofuels may represent since the issues for full energy access remain in abeyance. Whereas arguments in Northern countries focus on land occupation and thus call for a moratorium on biofuels without questioning local agricultural systems, Africa refuses to hinder biofuels. Actually, as African agriculture is hardly intensive, bioenergies could definitely help develop agricultural sector and be an efficient tool to fight against poverty since there is plenty of land available.

A new meeting that would gather all stakeholders seems mandatory to punctuate biofuel development in view of actions that have been initiated and needs for technical information on biofuel possible performance.

A clear-cut regulatory and institutional framework is thus essential in addition to a regional approach with the support of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). This will then help pool and share experiences and work on African projects standardization and certification according to specific criteria that will take into account socioeconomic constraints and environmental characteristics.

African stakeholders should rely on research findings on economic, social and environmental impacts of biofuels in order to take a stance on biofuel issues and defend “an African point of view”.