Tandenda Moyo
18 July 2008
Increasing oil prices on the global market have compelled governments to grapple with minimising the effects of soaring prices of petroleum products such as petrol and diesel.
As a result, the Botswana government has announced its commitment to explore bio-fuels, which have the potential to help reduce the country's high imports of petroleum products.
Speaking at the Gaborone International Convention Centre (GICC) on Tuesday this week, Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Affairs, Ponatshego Kedikilwe, said strides are being made towards initiating bio-fuel production.
"We are part of the global village and part of the global debate that is going on," said Kedikilwe at the inaugural stakeholders' meeting on the bio-fuels in Botswana.
Kedikilwe said the government is aware of all the public interest in the development of bio-fuels and assured the nation that appropriate measures would be taken. He allayed fears that bio-fuels would result in insecure food security.
"Bio-fuels are not the villains that threaten food security in developing countries," he said.
Minister Kedikilwe said that key among issues raised against the production of bio-fuels is the environment and greenhouse emissions.
"The protection of the environment is one of the key issues on the agenda of bio-fuels," said the minister. "We know as a nation that we have a responsibility to reduce greenhouse emissions," he added.
Meanwhile, researchers have advised the government to conduct internal studies and not follow international trends on bio-fuels implementation.
"We might be having a potential product that we are overlooking as a country," said Dr Mogodisheng Sekhwela, the assistant director for Research and Development at the University of Botswana (UB). (Sila Press Agency)
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