The United Nations Foundation, the International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development, and the Energy and Security Group has released a report that emphasizes the opportunities that bioenergy could offer in West Africa; economically and environmentally.
“Sustainable Bioenergy Report in UEMOA Member Countries” has found that host country investments in bioenergy can reduce the exposure of West African countries to high food and oil prices and open up new economic opportunities in clean energy development. Realistic policies for bioenergy production would allow those hard hit by food crisis and rising oil prices – like Benin, Burkina-Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo – to reduce poverty and the impact of climate change.
“With the right public policies in place and the blueprint for action included in the report, UEMOA countries can harness that potential and win the fight against both rural poverty and climate change,” said Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, Executive Director of the Rural Hub.
One of the main problems facing these countries is the dependency on oil imports, although the nations contain enough arable land and forests to cultivate sufficient foodstocks and harvest biomass to produce bioenergy. However, less than 2% of this land is irrigated and is subject to the mercy of erratic weather patterns. Since about 70% of the population depends on agricultural or forestry-related jobs, tapping into this resource would raise employment levels and in turn, increase their economic stability and independence.
“Achieving the Millennium Development Goals demands well-integrated agricultural and energy policies if progress is to be sustained,” said Kandeh K. Yumkella, Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. “It is my hope that this report provides a new view of the potential of agriculture to help millions of Africans get out of the dark and out of poverty.”