The Saga of biofuel in Ghana

By Isabella Gyau Orhin

When Ghana’s Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama visited Thailand at the beginning of September this year, he was fascinated by that country’s level of technological advancement in biofuel generation.
According to media reports including that of the Ghana News Agency, the Deputy Director of the Royal "Chitralada" Projects, Ms Rosarin Smitabhim told the Vice President from Ghana that Thailand would be switching to the use of bio-diesel and gasoline next year.

She said currently the official vehicles of the King were being powered solely by bio-fuel. The Royal projects include a solar energy system that could serve a large area of Bangkok, the use of rice chaff for charcoal production, recycling of used household oil for soap and the manufacturing of candles from bee wax.
Alhaji Mahama on his part said Ghana would tap the expertise of Thailand in the large scale production of bio-fuel for national consumption

He said although Ghana had set in progress the development of bio-diesel, the stride Thailand had made by way of research would illuminate the path of Ghanaian researchers.
Although Ghana has made strides in the production of bio-fuel since the last few years, lack of financial investment has delayed the dreams of Ghanaian experts in biofuel such as Onua Amoah, who intends to cultivate Jatropha on commercial basis.
Last Thursday the Energy Commission held a stakeholders forum to discuss, way of improving the production of bio-fuel in the country in the wake of the dwindling energy resources in the country as well as escalating world oil prices.
Ato Simpson another Bio-fuel expert who works with Onua Amoah told Public Agenda in an interview at the meeting that only six thousand hectares of Jatropha has been planted by their company.
He said there is the need to plant about 270,000 hectare to market the fuel in commercial quantities.
Experts say though fossil fuels or petroleum products will slowly be replaced by other forms of energy the oil industry will continue to play a central role in its substitution.
Natural gas, hydrogen, bio fuels, biomass liquid fuels and liquid gas. have all been identified as alternatives to fossil fuels.In a speech read for him at the Stakeholders meeting, Ghana’s Minister for Energy and Mines Mr. Kofi Adda said the falling prices of crude oil in the world market should not stop Ghanaians for looking out for other alternative sources of fuel in the country such as bio-fuel for vehicles, cooking and lighting.
Mr. Adda said extreme dependence on petroleum products involves both risks from the energy security and environmental points of view.
Crude oil prices have fallen from about 76 dollars a barrel some weeks back to around 62 dollars in recent times.

“Modern biofuel technology will make us cultivate fuel to grow our economy, protect our available energy source and environment, as well as reduce dependency on imported fuel,” he said.

The main resource required for the production of biofuel is land and that is available in Ghana compared to other African countries.
“We have abundant arable land and a stable climate good for growing energy crops and food.”

According to him, if the right technological know- how are used, Ghanaian farmers will be proud to say, “We are energy producers.”
Ghana he said is blessed with plant resources such as oil palm, maize, sugar cane cassava and Jatropha which can be processed into ethanol and biodiesel.
The Minister further said recent developments of the biofuel technology through institutional linkages has come up with a National Bio-fuel Policy Recommendations document and licensing requirements for bio-fuel producers. These documents have been developed as a guideline to encourage entrepreneurs and business developers to transfer some of their laboratory trials to large industrial production and for business, which have already started production to increase their production capacities to usher in the bio-fuel era in Ghana.
Mr. Adda suggested institutional training, research and human resource development, science and technology to ensure the smooth running of the bio-fuel projects in Ghana.
“It is only drastic implementation decisions and commitment that can bring bio-fuel at parity with fossil fuel in terms of availability, cost effectiveness, technology, quality of service and marketing,” he said.
Supporting Adda, the Managing Director of Biodisel 1 Company Mr. Christian Kofi Marfo said he had developed biofuel from soybeans which cost 22,000 cedis per gallon.
While demonstrating the potency of his soybean fuel by putting several litres in a four wheel drive vehicle and moving the car, he said bio-fuel from soybeans are more expensive than fuel from Jatropha which will cost about 15,000 cedis per gallon as against petrol which costs about 36,000 cedis.

Dr. Gorge Afranie of the Koforidua Polytechnic on his part said there is an urgent need to develop bio-fuel since petroleum products have come under threat from escalation of prices and disruption of flow.
However Third World Advocacy organizations are worried about the bio-fuel projects in Ghana and other third world countries.
Their beef is that, these projects will benefit advanced countries to the detriment of the developing countries.
According to one of such organizations, the Institute of Science in Society, a London based in London various European countries have established goals to increase their use of biofuels as a substitute to gasoline and diesel.
For instance the European Union has established that by the year 2010, six percent of fuels will be biofuels and hopes that by 2020 the percentage will increase to eight percent. Critics say it is unlikely that Europe will dedicate its soils to the growth of these types of crops and as such third world countries will provide the land and cheap labour and the environmental effects caused by large plantations from which the biofuels are grown and refining. According to the Institute, companies dedicated to the business of biodiesel have placed their sights on Latin American, African, Asian and Pacific countries, since they consider that these countries can obtain raw material at competitive prices.
According to declarations made by the CEO of the DI Oils, a renewable Energy company in he UK, they are working with plantations of crops known as Jatropha for the production of biodiesel from Ghana to the Philippines, passing through India, Madagascar and South Africa. Up till now they have established 267.000 hectare and have the intention of expanding to nine million Hectares in the future.
UK-based DI Oils predicted in 2004 that the world market for biodiesel would grow by 14.5 percent annually to 2.79 million tonnes by 2010.
Currently, Brazil is said to be the largest supplier o bio-fuel to the UK.
Countries such as Thailand, India, Guatemala, Mali, Cambodia Tanzania, Argentina, Malawi and Madagascar are all doing studies or are benefiting from biofuel projects.