by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest)  With 195 countries on the planet today, an impressive 53 countries are Commonwealth countries, including countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific. They include large, rich countries …

by Michael Hirtzer (Reuters)  U.S. ethanol producers, looking to relieve a growing domestic glut, are hunting for new international fuel markets to replace China and Brazil after trade disputes slashed exports to those top buyers.
…
Without new …

(Biofuels International)  India-headquartered Sona Group has announced that it has beefed up the production at its Nigeria-based ethanol plant, according to media reports from Business Day.
The website reported that Sona ethanol will producing 120,000 litres daily, approximately …

by Liz Gyekye  (Bioenergy Insight)  The “first” pan-African expert network on food and non-food biomass has been launched by African and German researchers.
BiomassNet aims to ensure that food security and environmental sustainability are not compromised …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  … In Botswana, jatropha’s adventures are just beginning according to the Ministry of Minerals Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security’s advisor, Freddie Motlhatlhedi. He was referring to a joint research project done by …

by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest)  In Ghana, ECREEE collaborated with the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) and hosted the 5th GBEP Bioenergy Week in the ECOWAS region in Accra, Ghana (5th ECOWAS/GBEP Bioenergy Week) to provide an opportunity to …

by Anna Hirtenstein  (Bloomberg)  Taleveras signs joint venture with Global Green Development; First phase of biofuels project seen costing $400-$600 million  —  Taleveras Group, the African oil trading company, is making its first moves into renewable …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  From California arrives the very interesting news that Amyris has entered into an agreement with Blue California whereby its affiliates will provide access to its fermentation manufacturing in China and …

by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest)  In the UK, China New Energy announced it has won a number of contracts with Supercare Group Limited of Ghana and CNBM General Machinery Co., Ltd in China to construct …

(RightsAndResources.org)  Experts at Dakar event point to a significant cause of investment losses, work stoppages and violence across Africa: the failure of governments and companies to respect the land rights of indigenous and local communities
Sixty-three …

by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Ghana, the country’s only ethanol producer—Caltech—has produced 150,000 liters of ethanol from cassava since starting up the 3 million liter per year facility in August. The company is also expanding …

(Awake Africa)  The Community Heroes Awards is an initiative of African Centre for Peace Building and Awake Africa Magazine which seeks to identify, celebrate and honor individuals and organizations who have committed themselves to promote …

(Diesel Technology Forum)  Last week, the mayors of four cities – Paris, Madrid, Mexico City and Athens – announced they had pledged to remove diesel vehicles from their cities by 2025.  Last week, five African countries …

by Theophilus Kumah* (Advanced Biofuels USA) With the issue of biofuels and renewable energy making waves all over the globe, it is therefore not surprising when Africa (particularly Ghana) is not left out on investing …

(US Department of Agriculture)  The U.S. Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for the 2017 Borlaug Global Research Alliance Fellowships. Fellows will work with a mentor at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service or a U.S. …

By Theophilus Kumah* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Energy is a great determinant in ensuring the growth of the economy of every country. Ghana, as a country, has faced some instability in the supply of energy for …

(MyJoyOnline)  President John Mahama has inaugurated the revamped Komenda sugar factory in the Central region, predicting that the manufacturing plant will create over 7,000 direct and indirect jobs.
At a colorful ceremony on the site of …

(Development Diaries)  Acumen, the nonprofit social venture fund, announces its new investment in Green Energy & BioFuels (GEB), a Nigerian company creating cleaner, more cost-effective cooking solutions for West Africa’s low-income households. In Nigeria, more …

(GhanaWeb)  Caltech Ventures, a cassava cropping and processing company at Hodzo, in the Ho Municipality, is to begin the production of cassava-derived ethanol by March this year, the first in Ghana.
Ghana currently imports 60 million …

(Green Energy Biofuels)  The World Future Energy Summit that began in Abu Dhabi with a call for the world to turn the words of the COP21 Paris Agreement into tangible action – perfectly showcased the …

(PR Newswire/BCC Research)  This BCC Research report explores present and future strategies within the biofuel enzymes market, which includes amylase, cellulose, xylanase, lipase and other enzymes such as protease, lysomax, FermaSure, etc. Forecasts provided through …

by Anna Hirtenstein (Bloomberg/The Washington Post)  A brew made from sawdust and water hyacinth flowers may help reduce the millions of lives lost across the developing world from the fumes of ramshackle cooking equipment.
Those are the …

by Bryan Denson (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)  Jack Holden is either a big-dreaming businessman whose failure to cash in on the biodiesel wave separated investors from more than $1 million, or he’s a skilled con man …

by Dr Gloria Naa Dzama Addico & Mr Kweku Amoako Atta deGraft-Johnson (Graphic Online)  When one economic activity is on the decline, there is always the natural urge to look for alternatives. That is the situation …

by Lais F. Thomaz* (Advanced Biofuels USA)  Last week, from February 17 to 21, the 20th National Ethanol Conference “Going Global” was held in Grapevine, Texas, with the participation of several representatives of the ethanol …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Bunnies, liposuction fat, Prince Charles’ leftover wine, day-old whale, the human poo bus, fire ants dipped in hexane, old beer, raging fireballs, vibrating blobs, dope, and even the New Orleans …

by Erlend Skarsaune (Aftenbladet.no)  The Biofuel entrepreneurs sued Statoil to clear their names of allegations of corruption. The judge in charge was offered a job by Statoil, accepted, and continued working with the case.
The aggrieved parties …

(Ghana Business News)  Mr Cyril T. Quist, Brong Ahafo Regional Director of  Agriculture,  has said mining and biofuel  production in the country posed a threat to agriculture. He said efforts at promoting sustainable food systems …

(Biofuels International)  Ghana-based Smart Oil, active in the production of renewable energy from jatropha curcas and subsidiary of Italian company Smart Oil 2, has signed a license and services agreement with Quinvita, a developer of …

(US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service) The process dates to ancient Egypt. Now, it’s being studied here by the USDA as a way to fuel farms.  Pour a few handfuls of chopped- up corn stalks …

(EurekAlert!)  To celebrate World Toilet Day on November 19, researchers at Columbia University’s Engineering School, working in Ghana with Waste Enterprisers Ltd., the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), and the Kumasi Metropolitan …

“Into Africa- Building Local Markets, Improving Farm Productivity & Increasing ROI”
“ Key highlights

Climate change and the impact on global agriculture market
Investment opportunities & land utilization in Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Nigeria, Cote D’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Liberia …

Following the success of the 1st Biomass West & Central Africa Congress last year, the 2nd Congress is returning to Accra from 4 to 5 October 2012. More than 25 countries gathered in Accra last …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Most of the stories we write at the Digest on the subject of biofuels feedstocks fall into the well-established realms of normal. But every once in  a while, a feedstock …

(JoyOnline)  Human waste could soon be a precious commodity in Kumasi and other parts of the country with an ongoing solution to transform fecal sludge treatment into a profit-making venture.
Waste Enterprisers Limited, a sanitation and …

by Brian Vastag (The Washington Post)  With global efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions stalled, the United States and five other countries are starting a new program to cut other pollutants — including methane, soot …

“Reviving the Palm Oil Industry in Africa – Challenges & Opportunities”
Key Highlights

Financing & Investment Prospects
Land regulations, labour laws, logistics & infrastructure support
Applying large-scale cultivation expertise from Asia & opportunities for downstream processing
R & D on improved planting …

(Reuters/VIASPACE)  VIASPACE Executive Highlights Giant King Grass Advancement & Commercial Opportunities in Africa to Generate Electricity, Manufacture Energy Pellets and Produce Bio-Fuels:  Presents at the Biomass West & Central Africa Congress in Ghana
VIASPACE, Inc., a clean …

by Achten, W. M. J., and L. V. Verchot (Ecology and Society)  Biofuels are receiving growing negative attention. Direct and/or indirect land-use changes that result from their cultivation can cause emissions due to carbon losses in …

by Maya Thatcher (Center for International Forestry Research)  Smallholder farmers in developing countries risk being left behind in the push to produce sustainable biofuels, deterred by complex and expensive certification schemes, according to a recent …

by John C.K. Daly (http://oilprice.com)   On 28 October Air China conducted its first trial flight of a passenger jet powered by a mix of biofuel and traditional aviation fuel.
The Jet A-1 biofuel kerosene used in …

(Columbia University)  Kartik Chandran, an associate professor of Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia Engineering, has been awarded $1.5 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for his project to develop a revolutionary new model in …

by Bright Owusu  (Ghana mma)  The time has never been riper for the people of Ghana to speak out about the terrible negligence of consecutive governments who have allowed horrendous land grabs by foreign nationals …

(IITA)  As the world grapples with the challenge of feeding an ever growing population in the face of dwindling natural resources confounded by climate change, findings from a recent research by IITA show that science-based …

by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) The Center for Innovative Media at George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs project, Planet Forward, provides an Internet forum for experts and interested public to provide their …

(GhanaWeb)  Abellon CleanEnergy Ltd., an Indian renewable energy company, plans to create 25,000 jobs in Ghana and build a factory to produce solid biofuels, the United Nations Development Program said.
Ahmedabad-based Abellon will grow crops that …

by Bård Amundsen/Else Lie. Translation: Darren McKellep/Carol B. Eckmann(The Research Council of Norway)   Jatropha has been championed as a major environmental opportunity for developing countries with a semi-arid climate and marginal soil. Scientist Karl Hilding …

(Ghana News Agency)  Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, Minister of Food and Agriculture, on Monday noted that the commercial cultivation of cassava as an alternative source of bio-energy, would not compromise Ghana’s agricultural lands or threaten its …

(Environment-Expert.com)  VEPOWER Limited has entered into an exclusivity agreement with Jatropha Africa with the goal of financing the Company’s 50,000 hectare plantation in Ghana, West Africa.  VEPOWER will thus secure more than 40,000 tonnes of …

by George C. Schoneveld, Laura A. German, and Eric Nutakor  (World Bank)  This paper assesses the effectiveness of the Ghanaian legal and institutional framework in managing the trade-offs of large-scale land acquisition, particularly for biofuel …