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A great deal of interest is being shown in the establishment of Biodiesel producing oilseed plantations in the drylands of Africa to provide an answer to the developed worlds demand for environmentally friendly fuel oil sources. Some claim it can be a solution to the worlds future energy needs while simultaneously contributing to the alleviation of poverty in the Sub Saharan African countries. While we believe that is possible - we don't accept it is likely unless considerable effort is expended in making it so.

The Ring Group is an association of development engineers, based in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Group was contracted to develop some of the equipment requirements for the local production of Biodiesel from rapeseed crops. Early in this development several significant realities became obvious to the team assigned this task.

That significant production of Biofuels using "western" arable lands would have only negative consequences in terms of food production and prices.

That the use of arable land crop plants would give a lower yield, and require a considerable higher energy input to process, than a suitable perennial able to be grown in marginal or semi-arid lands.

That - of the areas of the world that have suitable drylands - Sub Saharan Africa would have the most to benefit from such production - but lacked almost all the required infrastucture and technologies needed to keep it a "home grown" industry.

That this would inevitably result in little more than a frenzied "Oil Rush" by western companies anxious to exploit the land and cheap labour by exporting just the feedstock and adding all the value in their own refineries elsewhere.

That such production would in fact give Sub Saharan African countries an opportunity for significant economic development - if the appropriate technologies could be developed and transferred.

That the lack of a cohesive and developed western Biofuel industry does give a "window of opportunity" for Africa.

The Ring Groups founder, Örjan Ring, then chose to personally finance a three year feasibility study. This involved an engineering team designing all the infrastructure and processing equipment in a form that could honestly command the title "CO2 Neutral" and then be established in the form of start-up cottage industries in various Sub Saharan countries.

The teams final conclusion was that 100 individual 5000 Hectare "plantations", or "co-operatives", each with their own processing facilities, transport and electric power components could provide the "critical mass" needed to ensure their own viability and that of the necessary support industries, supplying all but the relatively tiny percentage of "Hi Tech" components needed.

The transfer of these technologies and the creation of the many industries needed to carry the project forward requires a team of very experienced manufacturing men. People with these skills are available - many are retired and many are simply tired of the western industry "rat race" and are looking for something more rewarding. All are involved from a sense of altruism and, within that sense, the groups founder created the Industries for Africa Foundation as a non profit organisation to support these men and carry the project forward.

The Foundations statutes clearly define the objectives of the project and can be read here.