Bio360 Africa - themes & focus areas

The Bioenergy Sector in Africa: From Tradition to Transition

Bioenergy remains central to energy access in Africa, where a broad range of potential feedstocks, conversion processes and energy applications open up pathways to generate energy, environmental, economic and social benefits to local communities . It interacts strongly with the agriculture, forestry, food processing, industry and waste management sectors, however, Bioenergy can only deliver to the benefit of the environment and local economies, if supplied and used in a sustainable manner. Scaling sustainable bioenergy to realise it's true potential within the African energy mix presents a vast opportunity to produce renewable, clean energy from local feedstocks, mitigate against climate change, revitalise and recreate resilient soils for food security whilst locking in circular value to local economies.

Themes & Focus Areas Bioenergy: Biogas, biomethane, liquid biofuels, solid biomass. Applications : off-grid, grid-connected, self-consumption Bioeconomy: Circular economy, integration with agriculture Carbon Management: BECCUS, carbon removal, carbon finance Sustainable Transport Cross-cutting themes: Policy, finance, capacity building Regional Focus: African bioenergy sector insights Feedstocks : agri-residues, processing and industry residues, sustainably managed forest and wood processing residues

Modern bioenergy solutions use advanced technologies to efficiently and sustainably convert biomass - such as wood and wood residues, energy crops, agricultural and crop residues, and organic waste from industries, agriculture, landscape management, and households - into solid, liquid or gaseous fuels that can be used to produce heat and/or electricity or can be used as a transport fuel. These innovative systems are steadily gaining ground in Africa, providing cleaner, more sustainable alternatives.

The resource is often located in remote or rural areas, outside urban centers, where reliable power supply is frequently needed.  This creates valuable opportunities for agro-industries, often located at the end of a power line and frequently affected by brownouts to generate their own electricity or even sell surplus power back to the grid.

Across much of Africa, a large portion of the population continues to depend on traditional biomass - mainly firewood, charcoal, and agricultural residues - for cooking and heating. These fuels are typically used in open fires or inefficient stoves, resulting in high levels of indoor air pollution, respiratory illnesses, and a heavy burden on women and children who are responsible for fuel collection. With burgeoning population number, this widespread traditional use contributes significantly to forest degradation and climate change due to unsustainable harvesting practices and low combustion efficiency. Clean cookstoves utilising pellets, agri-residues, bioethanol or biogas produced sustainably, represent clear pathways to transition healthy and sustainable cooking practices.