Understanding the impact of climate change and development on groundwater resources in Africa is the theme of a conference opening this week in Kampala, Uganda. In a continent already facing water scarcity, phenomena such as climate change and rapid population growth are expected to force local populations to increase their reliance on groundwater resources to meet domestic, agricultural and industrial water demands.

"Africa has contributed less than any other region to the greenhouse gas emissions that are widely held responsible for global warming, yet the African continent is the least equipped and the most vulnerable to variations in temperature. The African savannahs – broad grasslands with scattered trees - which are both economically important and ecologically unique, are in danger of disappearing. Africa might very well experience the greatest human tragedy due to climate change.

"The question is: how can the vast potential of biofuels ever be exploited in such a way that African populations themselves benefit most? Many of the top stories on Africa this year, indicate that there are several strategies being set out to turn Africa into a biofuel superpower. Those with a stake in the industry think Africans will become the "Arabs of biofuels".

Moses Odokonyero writes in a local Ugandan newspaper: “On the rough and bumpy ride from Gulu town to Anaka trading centre about 35kms west of Gulu town, the road is full of signs of life. Trucks laden with matooke from Paidha in Nebbi district head in the opposite direction to town. Young men energetically peddle bicycles loaded with merchandise, beads of sweat dripping from their faces. People can be seen by the roadside, working in their green fields of groundnuts, beans and cassava. There is even a lone UPDF soldier in his garb walking along the road, not with a gun but a hoe!

"The energy industry is going through rapid change and transition and faces what are, perhaps, unprecedented challenges. Global market growth will continue in the long term despite the recent slowdown. Yet reducing emissions and global environmental protection are part of the mainstream political agenda. New technologies offer both new opportunities and challenges. The structural backdrop is ongoing liberalisation and globalisation of markets. These issues are complex and inter-relate, that is why the International Centre for Energy Policy and Technology (ICEPT) aims to provide high quality analysis at the policy/ technology/environmental interface. By way of introduction some of these key themes are considered here.

“The Indian Government has provided US$250 million to the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) for the establishment of a fund to promote biofuels in the West Africa sub-region.  Ghana's Prof. Dominic Fobih, the Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines. India had already closed a bioenergy cooperation agreement with Senegal earlier this year , but is now stepping up its involvement in the region.

Sunflower growers survey their crops in fields on the outskirts of Gulu, Uganda.
Green Energy (U) is a start-up alternative energy company that proposes to harness the biomass from crops like these for processing into biofuels at a local plant.