Browsing by Author "Siyanbola, W."

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Cassava Bio-Ethanol Development in Nigeria and Its Food Security Considerations
    (USAEE Working Paper, 2018-11-27) Ogundari, Ibikunle; Famurewa, Akindele J.; Akarakiri, J.; Siyanbola, W.
    Critics of Nigeria’s cassava bio-ethanol production policy have argued that its development will have severe food security implications in the country. Our paper takes a critical look at cassava feedstock and landmass requirements necessary to meet the policy focus. We also considered the cassava production targets of the national cassava production targets and their landmass requirements. We determined that if production targets alone were the basis for analysis, then cassava utilisation as feedstock in the biofuel initiative would compromise food security as production requirements are about 17-25% of cassava production targets in the country. However, if the basis of analysis was landmass utilisation, cassava utilisation as bio-ethanol feedstock would not necessary compromise food security as less than 2% of arable land and less than 4% of cultivated land would be required to produce the cassava required to meet bio-ethanol feedstock requirements. In fact the total land area required to produce the feedstock and meet national production targets are less than 10% of arable land and 20% of cultivated land. Hence government and other key player of the cassava production system can be encouraged to open up the available land for greater production of cassava for the market.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Technological Analysis of Sustainable Biofuels Development in Nigeria
    (USAEE Working Paper, 2012-11-27) Ogundari, Ibikunle; Famurewa, Akindele J.; Olaopa, Ruth I.; Akarakiri, J.; Siyanbola, W.
    Nigeria’s biofuel policy calls for 10% bioethanol and 20% biodiesel substitution in domestic petrol and diesel consumptions of 35 million and 12 million litres per day respectively. Although the policy was approved in 2005, after six years, a vibrant biofuels industry has not taken off in the country. In this paper, using strategic analysis approach, we determined the key technological impediments to biofuel industry development in Nigeria to be inadequate knowledge on feedstock and landmass requirements, the “food vs fuel” debate, fuel subsidy implications, indifference and low market confidence by investors, limited S&T human capability, poor funding, weak institutional framework and poor infrastructure provision. We have established that Nigeria’s total biofuel production at highest demand by 2020 (11.64 Million Tons) would require 51.8 Million Tons of feedstock comprising 48.44 Million Tons of cassava for bioethanol and 3.36 Million Tons of Jatropha curcas for biodiesel. This production demand would require 57.5 Thousand Sq. Km of land. This is less than 8% and 20% of the arable land (726 Thousand Sq. Km) or cultivated land (340 Thousand Sq. Km) in Nigeria respectively. Hence the food vs fuel fears were deemed unnecessary. We argue that the N1. 2 trillion (US $8 billion) fuel subsidy claimed by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 2011 be converted as seed capital for the take-off of the biofuels industry in the country.