Biodiesel production from Jatropha curcus : the Nigerian and Tanzanian experiences and implications for Africa

I M Bugaje

Abstract

Environmental and economic concerns have been driving the development of alternative green and renewable liquid fuels for transport for several years across the globe. Many African countries have joined this movement which saw the promotion of Jatropha for biodiesel production. The paper reviews these developments using Nigeria and Tanzania as case studies. It is clear that more than a decade of this policy campaign has yielded very limited success. It is evident that across the African landscape, Jatropha farmers hopes have been dashed, investments in Jatropha Biodiesel have failed and environmental degradation in some countries has occurred in the promotion of Jatropha plantations. It therefore becomes imperative to go back to the drawing board for a thorough techno-economic review. Jatropha clearly is unsuitable, both economically and environmentally, for biodiesel production and there is need to fund research to screen other indigenous African plants seeds for biodiesel production. There is also need to introduce Biofuels Production in higher education curricula in African countries