Biofuel development in Nigeria: prospect and challenges

Biofuel is perceived as a means to ease global energy concerns, promote rural development and mitigate climate change. Therefore, its development has been and will continue to be a priority for most countries. Presently biofuel production is not economically viable, and the drive for its production is driven by the policies of some countries that perceive it as the only possible alternative to fossil fuels and a way out from the declining world crude reserves. Since biofuel offers the opportunities for developing countries to grow new livelihood and reduce the over dependence on imported fossil fuel, as well as obvious benefit to the environment, Nigeria is not left out. Therefore, for Nigeria to step into the biofuels industry in a big way, with every sector being placed in the use of cleaner renewable energy, government need to plan towards producing biofuel from her abundant biomass resources. This idea is expected to boost Nigerian economy through cultivation of arable landmass for provision of feedstock. Therefore, the quest for biofuels no doubt, represents a legitimate ambition. It is in the light of this that the paper reveals the prospects and challenges of biofuel development with the objective of reviewing the current situation in Nigeria. It further identifies inadequate process technology, poor policy implementation and lack of public acceptance as factors hampering its success