COMPETE will deliver a matrix of multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral work-packages, each led by globally recognised scientists and implementers, to:

1) Provide an evaluation of current and future potential for the sustainable provision of bioenergy in Africa in comparison with existing land use patterns and technologies.

2) Facilitate South-South technology and information exchange capitalising the world-leading RD&D in bioenergy in the key countries Brazil, Mexico, India, China and Thailand

3) Develop innovative tools for the provision of financing for national bioenergy programmes and local bioenergy projects, including: carbon credits, bilateral and multi-lateral funding instruments, and the role of international trade

4) Develop practical, targeted and efficient policy mechanisms for the development of bioenergy systems that enhance local value-added, assist local communities and address gender inequalities

5) Establish the Competence Platform to ensure effective dissemination and knowledge exchange inside and outside the network

Since the start of the COMPETE partnership in early 2007 the following progress against the main targets has been achieved:

1) Studies on current and improved land use are under way for several African countries focussing on the sustainable provision of bioenergy.

2)The COMPETE Seminar in Brazil focussing on South-South technology and information exchange will take place on 22-26 October 2007 in Sao Paulo and Riberao Preto. This seminar includes practical information exchange (field trips) mainly for participants from Africa. Cooperation links have been established with the UN Division for Sustainable Development.

3) Studies on financing tools for bioenergy programmes and projects are under way.

4) The COMPETE partnership is currently engaged in overview studies on national and regional policies and strategies for Sub-Saharan Africa in the field of energy crops, agroforestry systems and biofuels.

5) The COMPETE partnership is successfully establishing a Competence Platform through the set-up of a website (www.compete-bioafrica.org), an Associate Membership, and the organisation of regular meetings, workshops, seminars and conferences.

The COMPETE partnership is coordinated by WIP Renewable Energies, Germany, and includes the following project management bodies: Steering Committee, Project Management Team, Work package leaders, Working group leaders.

The Steering Committee is an effective consulting organ of this coordination action. A representative from each of the work package leaders and selected project partners will be invited to join the Committee. The Committee will meet in regular sequences (e.g. in Brussels, on the occasion of topic related conferences, at the site of one of the partners, via international telephone conferences etc.) to decide commonly on pending project issues. The role of the Steering Committee will be to provide strategic guidance to the project activities and to ensure the relevance of the deliverables.

The Project Management Team co-ordinates the day-to-day activities of the COMPETE competence platform and monitors the partnership. The team consists of the Project Co-ordinator, Scientific Co-ordinator, Financial Manager and Dissemination Manager.

A WP-Leader is appointed to each individual Work Package of the project. The WP-Leaders will be responsible for the detailed co-ordination, planning, monitoring and reporting of their WP-Group. WP-Groups will meet according to the specific needs of the Work Package, under the Chairmanship of the WP-Leader. The Co-ordinator and the WP-Leaders will maintain a regular communication line to assure the detailed co-ordination of each Work Package with the other tasks in the project.

The working group leader will ensure close co-operation links with the respective work package leader. Working group leader are responsible for the coordination of all working group activities and ensure that deliverables are completed on time with respect to the project planning as defined in this project.

The COMPETE partnership work is divided into seven major co-ordination activities.

Work package 1: Current land use patterns and impacts:
This work package will synthesise information from a range of high quality sources that have categorised and evaluated land use patterns in Africa with a view to (a) identifying land suitable for biomass production for energy, (b) suitable for conversion from other uses, and; (c) filtering out land that is not available or not suitable for inclusion in future bioenergy land use scenarios.

Work package 2: Improved land use – energy crops and agroforestry systems:
The overall objective of this work package is to provide an overview of experiences and concepts for sustainable production (and use) of biomass for energy. This includes improvements in conventional agricultural production, since productivity improvement is vital for making land available for new crops without increasing pressure on existing land resources.

Work package 3: Sustainability analysis of alternative land use:
An essential prerequisite for the implementation of alternative energy crop and agroforestry schemes is to ensure their ecological, economic and social sustainability. Practical mechanisms for defining, monitoring and rewarding good sustainability practice are beginning to emerge both locally and globally. Ensuring the ‘renewable’ status of bioenergy will mean tailoring these mechanisms to each bioenergy production system, irrespective of location, scale or technology.

Work package 4: South-South and North-South cooperation:
The objective of this work package is to link the project activities in Africa with on-going successful research and demonstration efforts in the field of energy crops and agroforestry systems in Latin America and Asia. This will be achieved by exchanging information, especially learning from initiatives that are directly related to the themes under the COMPETE partnership. Furthermore WP4 will be concerned with the transfer of knowledge and technical know-how between developed and developing countries as well as the promotion of joint ventures for common activities in the field of new energy crop and agroforestry systems.

Work package 5: Financing of alternative land use and international trade:
The overall objectives of this Work Package are to identify the existing financing mechanisms that are currently used for energy crop and agroforestry activities with emphasis on carbon financing, multilateral and bilateral donors, and trading and commercial options.

Work package 6: Policy development:
The objective of this work package is to coordinate policy research activities in African countries aimed at facilitating the efficient implementation of improved energy crop and agroforestry systems in order to enhance economic productivity and sustain rural and peri-urban livelihoods. It is also aimed at avoiding adverse environmental and social degradation that could arise from faulty policy development and implementation.
Policy initiatives will be evaluated and developed in close cooperation with African multinational organisations (SADC, UEMOA, NEPAD) and national Governments.

Work package 7: Dissemination activities and Set-up of Competence Platform:
The aim of this work package is to actively promote the exchanges between the working groups and to effectively link with existing networks and a large variety of stakeholders, target groups and key actors. This will be achieved through the set-up of a Competence Platform on Energy Crop and Agroforestry Systems for Arid and Semi-arid Ecosystems.

Amount in US$: 1.500.000

Source(s): Other
European Commission 6th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development

Type(s): Computers - Office space - Staff

Source(s): Private sector - NGO - Other
Resources provided by partners of the partnership

Source(s) already approached: Additional funding sources may be sought to continue the implementation of the partnership after January 2010.

Requirement(s): Currently, no additional non-financial resources are sought.