Main Conference Day 1Tuesday, 15 April 2025

Explore Africa’s strategic location and its exposure to cheap sugar imports from global giants like Brazil and India.

Examine country-specific strategies to remain competitive in the global market.

Analyzing the cyclical nature of global sugar prices and the implications on African producers.

Exploring opportunities in automation, technology, and renewable energy integration for sugar producers.

Ensuring environmental and social sustainability in Africa’s sugar production value chains.

Examine Kenya's ethanol market, where local production covers some of the beverage sector's needs, and nearly all cooking fuel ethanol is imported.

Discuss strategies for increasing local production to meet projected growth, especially for household fuel transitioning away from charcoal.

Discuss the projected rise in demand for ethanol as a household fuel and its role in Kenya's transition away from traditional biomass.

Understand market requirements and investment opportunities needed to catalyze this shift effectively.

Understanding the impact of the EU Green Deal on African sugar exports and compliance requirements.

Explore how leveraging the EU’s Global Gateway initiative, with a potential €300 billion for investments, could provide opportunities for African sugar producers.

Highlighting sustainability measures, including fair labor practices, to meet European consumer expectations.

Impact of government mandates on production and examples of best practices.

Differences in policy approaches across East, Central, and Southern Africa.

Navigating changing regulations

Strategies for ensuring compliance and sustainability in diverse regulatory landscapes.

Examining how government policies and subsidies affect the sugar and ethanol industries in Africa.

Identify key areas where regulatory support could drive growth and stability.

Addressing the need for policies that support production, sustainability, and trade.

A panel of policymakers discussing policies impacting the sugar industry across Africa.

Explore the Africa-Caribbean-Pacific (ACP) partnership and its implications for access to European and UK markets.

Discover how regulatory frameworks in Brazil support ethanol production and the lessons Kenyan regulators can apply.

Hear perspectives on how mandates like Kenya's E10 can be realistically fulfilled by building up local supply chains.

How sugarcane is evolving from a sugar source to a multipurpose crop for biofuels, bioelectricity, and sustainable packaging.

Looking into the growing demand for specialty sugars, such as lighter brown sugars, in global markets like Europe and Spain, with examples from Mauritius.

How African mills can innovate to meet these specific market needs and improve product quality while optimizing production processes.

Address critical obstacles for investors, including currency issues, infrastructure gaps, and skills shortages.

Showcase potential growth areas and successful investments despite the challenges in various African markets.

Engage with development finance institutions (DFIs) to understand their criteria for supporting biofuel projects and what makes a project bankable.

Explore the role of organizations like the African Development Bank in promoting sustainable biofuel initiatives in Africa.

Explore the role of DFIs, investors, and development banks in scaling sustainable sugar production across Africa.

Identify investment opportunities in bio-refineries, advanced R&D, and value chain infrastructure in countries like Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Zambia.

Explore the impact of climate change, including droughts and floods, on sugar yields and crop sustainability.

The potential for irrigation and drought-resistant crop varieties to mitigate risks.

Innovative practices and technologies for managing climate risks.

Best practices in reducing carbon footprints within the sugar industry, inspired by global leaders.

Evaluating the benefits of adopting renewable energy sources, such as bioethanol, in sugar processing.

Outlining opportunities in carbon sequestration and CO₂ absorption, leveraging sugarcane as a climate-resilient resource.

Assess the importance of reliable infrastructure in sugar production, focusing on water and power.

Highlight alternative energy sources being used to increase industry self-sufficiency.

How lack of grid connection and infrastructure costs can be a barrier to generating bioelectricity from bagasse.

The potential for renewable energy solutions within the sugar industry and the investment required to make them viable.

Exploring the role of sugar by-products like ethanol in advancing clean energy solutions in Africa.

Showcasing case studies on ethanol use in cooking and transportation fuel innovations.