Brazil's successful development of an ethanol-based biofuels sector since the 1980s, hardly noticed at first, has been the envy of other countries more dependent on oil imports. The government had the foresight to notice, long before the oil paradigm started to shift toward peak production, that its vast hectares of sugarcane could be put to good use as an ethanol source. Hence, it granted heavy subsidies to agricultural and related industries to alter the source of transport fuels.
 
 Years later, many of those other countries are jumping on the biofuels bandwagon in an era where energy security has risen up the agenda—even in the oil-rich country of Nigeria. "Nigeria would be $150 million (about 21 billion Naira, the Nigerian currency) annually richer when [it] adopts the development and application of biofuel as an alternative energy source to crude oil," says Funsho Kupolokun, group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which has been given the task of creating the new alternative industry.
 

 It might seem surprising that the oil industry itself in this country has taken on the challenge. In many nations, oil companies sign contracts with the emerging biofuels suppliers in deals based either on mandated biofuels content or tax incentives. However, in this case, the national oil company has been instructed by the government to develop the potential within cassava and sugarcane crops, both of which are plentiful in Nigeria. 
 
 National statistics suggest that more than 400,000 hectares of land could support high yield sugarcane operations, for instance. At the same time, Nigeria is a leading cassava producer. The crops would be used in the first instance to create a 10 percent biofuel-90 percent fossil fuel blend. 
 
 "Two potential crops have been identified for the fuel ethanol initiative in Nigeria: sugarcane and cassava," says Onochie Anyaoku, group general manager of NNPC's Renewables Division. "Nigeria is currently reputed to be the leading producer of cassava in the world of about 30 million tons annually. The potential must be seen against the background that the average yield in Nigeria is put at about 15 tons per hectare as compared to 25 to 30 tons per hectare obtainable in other countries. Moreover, cassava is most perceived as a food crop in Nigeria and not as an industrial crop, part of which the biofuel program is expected to radically change." 
 
 A step-by-step approach is being followed with cassava to ensure that all technical and market issues are addressed comprehensively. The plans will be supported by the Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), a public-private clean energy coalition established at the World Summit for Sustainable Development. REEEP is providing part of the funds for detailed feasibility studies to establish the supply chain for several new ethanol production plants.
 
 Though the cultivation of industrial sugarcane suffered a serious setback due to the poor performance of the government-owned sugar companies (now privatized), there is no doubt about the huge potential for growing sugarcane on a large scale in Nigeria, particularly along the entire length and breadth of the Niger and Benue rivers. The states of Jigawa in northern Nigeria, and Benue and Taraba in the middle belt region of Nigeria are targets for further agricultural development, and further feasibility studies are planned for individual locations within each state.
 
 Kupolokun recently met with Benue state governor George Akume to discuss how the NNPC could work to secure land and kick off initial partnerships in the region to generate a program that would "improve automotive exhaust emissions in the country, reduce domestic use of petrol, free up more crude for export and position Nigeria for development of the green fuel."
 
 Kupolokun said the company had identified locations in several states suitable for cassava and sugarcane plantations, adding that memoranda of understanding with the government would be signed as soon as agreements had been reached. Akume, in his turn, said the NNPC's ethanol project crystalized local development efforts and provided employment opportunities for local people, adding that the program might also halt the scourge of petroleum product pipeline vandalization. 
 
 Cooperative agreements are on the table between the Renewable Energy Division of the NNPC and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, a leading research institute for cassava production, as well as the Nigerian Cereals Research Institute, a national research institute with a mandate for research of sugarcane. These agreements will focus on the low yield problems typical of many varieties of both sugarcane and cassava in Nigeria. 
 

 Once the agreement is signed, researchers will investigate how to produce and multiply cassava and sugarcane seedling varieties showing the improved productivity and higher yields necessary for sound profitability. The NNPC is also looking to create commercial partnerships with local businesses so that negative impacts on food markets are minimized, while also building local support for the long-term development of this new industry.
 
 The REEEP-funded pilot project will generate a business model for the establishment and cultivation of the plantations themselves—in particular, a 10,000 to 20,000 hectare (25,000 to 50,000 acre) sugarcane plantation fitted with an ethanol production unit making 70 million to 80 million liters annually (18 MMgy to 21 MMgy), as well as a 5,000 to 10,000 hectare (12,000 to 25,000 acres) cassava plantation fitted with an ethanol production unit capable of producing 50 million to 60 million liters each year (13 MMgy to 16 MMgy).
 
 Like Brazil, Nigeria is taking a more top-down, supply-led approach than has perhaps been evident in other countries, many of whose policies are more market-driven. However, the government is not just looking to Brazil for information; it also plans to start up the industry using a Brazilian import partnership. Brazil is to initially supply Nigeria with fuel ethanol in order to develop the market and fuel supply infrastructure, and test out the ground. Both countries signed a memorandum of understanding in 2005. 
 The import reception facilities at Atlas Cove and Mosimi areas are already being modified in preparation for the distribution of the biofuel. The REEEP project, which started in April, will develop just as imports arrive from Brazil, allowing the plantations to grow within a rapidly developing market environment.
 
 The events are taking place within a non-consolidated governmental policy framework, though there are campaigns to change this situation. "The policy environment has always been a challenge in Nigeria, and the biofuel industry is no exception," Kupolokun says. "No current policy framework exists that directly addresses the challenges and peculiarities of a biofuel industry in Nigeria; however, a process for putting in such a policy is currently in progress." 
 
 New policy developments will involve all the ministries and governmental offices necessary so that they take into account all the issues related to the various links in the value chain. At this stage, the policy emphasis is to stimulate the emergence of integrated operations showing the most potential for good economic performance. At the same time, the policy will aim to set out the best conditions for the development of an "outgrower" scheme, which would involve the direct participation of local communities in the production of feedstock for the industry. It will also address access to the best international industry skills and financing available to underpin the sustained growth of the industry. 
 
 The new industry will radically change the agricultural sector in Nigeria, which is currently dedicated only to food production, and will create thousands of new jobs as Africa gears up for what is probably one of its first biofuels and certainly one of its many desperately needed agrarian revolutions. Commenting on the impact of the venture, Kupolokun says the entire process is capable of creating over 200,000 jobs, empowering rural farmers by generating greater earnings. EP
 
 Marianne Osterkorn is international director of REEEP. Reach her at Marianne.Osterkorn@reeep.org or +43 1 26026-3678.

Nigeria to Use Brazilian Blueprint to Found its New Biofuels Industry

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Nigeria to Use Brazilian Blueprint to Found its New Biofuels Industry