Mission Statement

To provide Africa with clean biodiesel while maximizing efficiency through the utilization of biodiesel byproducts to reduce waste, mitigate climate change, and increase equality within the region.

About Us

With an overall company vision of creating a region self-sufficient in the production of green energy, API’s business idea aims at providing alternative green energy sources to meet current demand while conserving the environment, mitigating climate change as well as promoting sustainable social and economic development in Africa.

API's Goals

We at API strive to increase biofuel production, contribute to poverty eradication through job creation, contribute to sustainable environmental management throughout Africa, contribute to global efforts of climate change mitigation, and provide education to Africa.

Economic, Environmental and Social Benefits

API creates skilled and unskilled jobs in multiple fields with equal opportunities for men and women. These jobs help us increase the production of Biofuel which reduces Africa's reliance on the global fossil fuel trade and price fluctuations while reducing pollution.

Products

API is currently producing multiple byproducts through our process of creating biodiesel, we are currently creating marketing strategies to sell these products to expand our efforts to increase the amount of trees we plant, jobs we create, and lives we impact.

Partners

API has partnered with many different governmental, religious financial, and educational institutions that help us achieve our goals more efficiently.

News

News articles and videos on API.

Gallery

Photos relating to API

Awards

API has received multiple awards due to our ethical business practices, revolutionary and eco-friendly products, and our contributions to Africa

Get in touch

We are always looking for volunteers and organizations to partner with!

© Copyright 2019. All Rights Reserved.

Goal - Increase biodiesel production to meet Uganda's yearly demand of almost 200 million liters of biodiesel and have a production capacity of 365 million liters by 2030.How we are working on reaching that goal - API is currently finishing construction on a biodiesel production facility with the capacity to produce 18 million liters per year, in Mukono district, Kampala, Uganda.Goal - Sell the byproducts from the biofuel process into marketable products to help raise funds for further projectsHow we are working on reaching that goal - API is currently getting licenses to sell our soaps, oils and other products we are developing to sell in the future and working on plans to market them and get them into stores.Goal - Plant 50 million trees in total by 2030.How we are working on reaching that goal - API has already planted 15 million trees, over 1 million just in 2022, and is currently working to increase this number to 5 million per year.Goal - Plant 50 million trees in total by 2030.How we are working on reaching that goal - API has already planted 15 million trees, over 1 million just in 2022, and is currently working to increase this number to 5 million per year.

Gender Equality Benefits

Both men and women contribute to agriculture, agro-processing and home industries,
trade, and commerce. However, in Uganda, the rural agricultural workforce is mainly
made up of women who undertake most of the farming activities. Women contribute
a higher-than-average share of labor in the sector. They also make up more than half
of Uganda's agricultural workforce, and a higher proportion of women than men work
in farming—76 percent versus 62 percent. However, women rarely have access to the
resources and services that would make their work more productive, ease their heavy
workload and increase their income. The project provides seeds/seedlings at no cost,
training/capacity building, and a market for seeds thus increasing women's access to
resources and their oil seeds and honey.
Women as producers and suppliers of oil seeds.
Women farmers who have access
to land have been recruited, trained, and given seedlings/seeds to grow candlenut seeds on their land. At a household level, women take part in most of the activities
such as planting, maintenance, harvesting, and supply of seeds.
For example, women farmers have created farmer groups consisting of only
women. These groups plant the candlenut trees, oversee their growth, and once mature, they
collect and supply the seeds to API thus generating an extra income. They also
participate in training and workshops obtaining more knowledge and skills geared
to uplift their livelihoods. API plans to provide women farmers with free organic
fertilizers so as to boost their yields and increase their incomes.
Candlenut trees are highly intensive flowering plants that attract bees all year round
and hence can provide an opportunity for women farmers to incorporate bee-keeping
into their farming activities as a source of income through selling honey. API plans to
train and engage women, and farmer groups, in beekeeping.
Women as employees.
At API, women have taken up management and
technical positions. Women are offered specific management and technical positions
most especially in the administration and human resource department, as well as the
purification and quality control department of the project. Currently, the project
manager and chief chemist of the project are women. API plans to as well engage
more women in tree nursery management activities, fertilizer processing as well as sales and marketing of API products.
API appreciates all women based on their talent and performance. API ensures equal pay for both men and women. API has strict and effective policies against harassment and offense to
protect women thus creating a healthy working environment.
API would like to contribute even more to gender equality and women’s
empowerment, and is currently in contact with multiple women's organizations to collaborate and figure out how to further aid gender equality and support women's issues in Africa.

Environmental Benefits

1. Substitution of fossil diesel with biodiesel leads to emission reductions of noxious
gasses, heavy metals, and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Additionally, the use of
biodiesel creates zero emissions since the carbon dioxide emitted is absorbed by the
plants grown for biodiesel production. Typically there is no change in CO2 amount in
the air hence the carbon footprint is at least zero if not negative.
2. Tree planting will sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as the plan is to
increase the number of planted trees from 400,000 to millions in the near future. We
have done this in Ethiopia by reforesting over 1 million acres in northern Ethiopia.
3. Reduction of the distance of fuel transportation from source to end-user further reduces
emissions as the international trade of this commodity is reduced, and the fuel is
sourced locally.
4. Biodiesel degrades four times faster than conventional fuel it is non-toxic during
the process of degradation by virtue of its organic content.
5. Briquette making further reduce emissions of Green House Gasses and leads to a
reduction in tree cutting for firewood and charcoal.
6. The increase in the bees due to the foliage will boost agricultural and floral production
due to more pollination. In America, bees are dying out, so much so that people rent
beehives from honey producers seasonally to place in their farms when their crops
begin to flower. People are beginning to realize that without bees, there is no agriculture, and increased foliage traps more carbon dioxide.

Social and Economic Benefits

1. Income generation from feedstock development and supply. The sale of oil seeds to
API means increased income generation by farmers from the same piece of land. Over
10,000 farmers make more money from the same piece of land. The bi-products and
income streams of the production cycle provide raw materials for many small-scale industries i.e. soap making and briquette making thus expanding the income base of
the local people and boosting rural industrialization.
2.Candlenut is a common oil seed-bearing tree that matures in 4 years and has a productive life span that exceeds 50 years. Crop density is 50 trees per acre when
intercropped with food crops, and 100 trees per acre for commercial plantations. The
crop yield is 80kgs of seeds per tree equivalent to 4 tons of seed per acre when
intercropped. A farmer who has planted this tree is guaranteed continued harvest
for the next 50 years thus building generational wealth. For example, a farmer who
plants 100 candlenut trees on an acre will harvest up to 8 tons of seed yearly for
the next 50 years. That is equivalent to an additional 460 Euros for every two acres of
land intercropped.
3. Within three years of planting, farmers are able to produce honey from candlenut
trees which have excellent characteristics for bees to forage. It is a heavy flowerer. An
IFC document shows the production of 60 kilos of honey per year from an acre of
candlenut trees. This is an additional source of income for the farmers.
4. Employment creation. Biofuel production is a labor-intensive activity and thus is very
significant in creating a number of jobs both for the skilled and unskilled labor
force in feedstock production, oil processing, distribution, and use. The new jobs
created by a growing biofuel industry inject sustainable revenue into the Ugandan economy, increasing disposable income and consumption in every sector of the
economy, from consumer products to banking. The tree-growing sector offers various
employment opportunities to the local people during planting, harvesting, packaging,
loading and offloading, and transportation.
5. API guarantees a ready market for rural farmers through the sell of oil seeds. Our seed
requirement to run the 20,000-liter capacity is over 13,000 tons of seed per year.
6. Cost saving. Biodiesel provides cheaper fuel resources and is locally produced. In Uganda, the cost of fuel is one of the main barriers to agricultural mechanization.
Extending the use of biodiesel in tractors for agricultural operations and in diesel
generators for agro-processing activities increase rural farmers’ efficiency and profitability.
7. Over 90% of the rural population has no access to electricity. Their lives will improve
significantly with ready access to readily available energy resources.
8. Biodiesel use contributes to the substitution of imported fossil fuels directly, thus
enhancing national energy security.
9. Usage of 100 percent biodiesel can diminish the expansion of this disease because of
a substantial reduction in nitrified and aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons. Removal of
these noxious gasses will help eliminate several respiratory diseases as well as cancer.
10. Other emerging industries that result from the project i.e. briquette making further
reduce emissions of Green House Gasses and lead to a reduction in tree cutting for
firewood and charcoal and the planting of more trees.
11. Honey will be produced from the candlenut trees which have excellent characteristics
for bees to forage. It is a heavy flowerer.

What API is currently producing1. Biodiesel. Biodiesel is the name for the methanol-ester-based biofuel made from natural,
renewable biological sources such as vegetable oils or animal fats. It is eco-friendly, bio-
degradable and safe to handle. Biodiesel is a clear liquid, without an unpleasant odor, of virtually the
same viscosity as mineral fossil diesel oil. For this reason, it may be used in a standard diesel
engine without additional modifications. It may also be blended with petrodiesel to improve
the latter's quality.
2. Crude glycerol: This is the bi-product of biodiesel production. For every liter of biodiesel
produced, 0.1 liters of glycerol are produced. The glycerol is sold to soap-making industries. And
later be purified into glycerine for use in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and industrial purposes.
Currently, Uganda imports all glycerine consumed in the country.
3. Seedcake. This is a waste product from the oil extraction process. For every kilogram of oil seed pressed, 50% to 60% is left as seed cake. The seedcake is further processed into organic
fertilizer.
4. Seed Shell. The seed shell is a waste product of the oil extraction process where the hard outer shell
of the candlenut is removed and carbonized to make briquettes and activated carbon. Briquettes are a
better alternative to firewood and charcoal use. Activated carbon can offset the imported ones
thus providing a cheap local source for industrial and pharmaceutical uses.
5. Planting Trees/ Candlenut Planting. Directly planting Candlenut seeds can be done
after the seed has broken and germinated. Seeds may take 3 weeks to a month to germinate.
Seeds should be watered twice a day under shade to facilitate germination. The best time for
planting is at the beginning of the rainy season. The land needs to be cleared of weeds.
Planting spacing depends on the production purpose.
The spacing of 8×8 m and 6×6 m approx. 70 trees per acre have been recommended for A.
moluccana trees in agroforestry systems (intercropped with other tree species or annual crops).
For pure A. moluccana stands, spacing of 4×4 m and 3×3 m 250 trees per acre are
recommended. Trees may yield fruits as early as 36 months
6. Candlenut oil. The oil can be converted into soap which is a basic requirement for households
necessary in promoting basic hygiene, especially in this time of Covid-19 where soap is the first
line of defense.
7. Honey and bees. The honey produced from candlenut trees and all the by-products have good
economic value to the farmer. The bees, today, are being seen as a resource in agriculture and
forestry development due to being the major source of pollination in plants.

PRESS RELEASE
API Renewable Energy PLC to Launch Ethiopia’s First Commercial Biodiesel Plant Renewable Energy Industry Transforming East Africa
API Renewable Energy plans to launch Ethiopia’s first commercial-scale biodiesel refinery with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the Adama Industrial Zone in the first week of December 2018. The goals of API are to rehabilitate degraded lands, create large-scale employment, generate wealth in East Africa and improve the region’s environment.
Stamford, CT, November 29, 2018 –(PR.com)– API Renewable Energy plans to launch Ethiopia’s first commercial-scale biodiesel refinery with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the Adama Industrial Zone in the first week of December 2018.
Project Highlights– 1.4 million-hectares (4 million-acres) of reforestation provide renewable resource for biofuel in harsh East African environment.
– Based on successful completed pilot refinery plant, new commercial-scale refinery plant targets annual biodiesel production of over 70 million litres.
– Nine more plants planned for Ethiopia, (completed by 2025), with total generation estimated at 730 million litres of biofuel annually.
– Long-term economic impact for East Africa based on this generation would approach $1 billion annually, including biofuel revenue and potential foreign exchange from the sale of carbon credits. This also reflects the creation of up to half a million jobs.
– Significant anticipated social benefits include a healthier environment (from land rehabilitation, decreased fossil fuel usage and reduced greenhouse gas emissions) as well as greater political stability in the region.
Marcos Bitew, CEO of API, said, “Our team is incredibly excited and gratified for the world to see our vision of sustainable energy production coming to fruition in Ethiopia. We have poured our lives into this project for over a decade. It has not been an easy ride, but we have persevered through many obstacles to reach this important milestone – the opening of our first full-scale biodiesel plant. We are grateful for the support of everyone involved in this important initiative: our employees, investors and the government entities that have played such important roles in our success.”Proving Renewable Resources for Biofuel Are Viable in East AfricaAPI identified the Tigray state in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia as a target region for biofuel development due to its underutilized land. The area suffers from deforestation, depleted soils, erosion and minimal precipitation, all of which deter agriculture stability, therefore land remains significantly underutilized. API was confident the land would support Jatropha (also called the “castor oil plant”), a hardy, drought-resistant biofuel crop.Partnering closely with local communities, API invested in seedling development, nursery bed preparation, planting, caretaker training and education regarding the benefits of cultivating biofuel crops. This API effort – the first initiative of its kind in the region – resulted in the world’s largest plantation of Jatropha: 1.4 million hectares.API, working with Key Ethiopian officials plans to expand its land improvement efforts across Ethiopia, with the next phase focusing on the Afar, Oromia and Somali regions. By 2030, API expects that 5.5 million hectares (13.6 million acres) of barren land in Ethiopia will have been reforested under this program. API recognizes that since one hectare of Jatropha yields about 1000 liters of oil, then the expected 5.5 million hectares will support production of approximately 5.5 billion liters of biofuel per year.Biofuel Production Ramp UpShort-term production goals are more modest. While proving biodiesel production methods with a small pilot refinery plant, generating 12 thousand liters of oil daily, API drew up plans for the full-scale refinery it launches. Commercial production expectation from the new plant is expected to reach up to 73 million litres of biodiesel annually.Nine additional refinery plants of similar capacity are already planned to be online in Ethiopia by 2025. Collectively, the 10 refineries should be able to generate 730 million litres of biofuel annually.Local Economic Impact of BiofuelsIf API meets its output targets, biodiesel could displace half of Ethiopia’s carbon-based diesel and eliminate all of the coal it uses in cement manufacturing – a major local industry. In addition, API’s biofuel refineries could produce enough glycerin to replace all of Ethiopia’s imported glycerin, as well as generate large volume of biogas, organic fertilizer and if requested bio-jet fuel.With a daily output of 2 million liters of biodiesel, 2 hundred thousand liters of glycerin and 6 thousand tons of biomass to displace coal, Ethiopia would generate revenue and foreign exchange savings of some $730 million each year.Equally as important, the new jobs created by a growing biofuel industry would inject sustainable revenue into the Ethiopian economy, increasing disposable income and consumption in every sector of the economy, from consumer products to banking. API expects direct employment in biofuel refining to create as many as 10,000 jobs in the next 10-12 years.The newly created agriculture required to support the industry could generate exponentially more employment. As a rule of thumb, every 10 hectares of biofuel crops require one worker, so the 2030 goal of 5.5 million hectares under cultivation would require another 550,000 workers.When added together, the long-term economic impact of the biofuel industry on East Africa would approach $1 billion annually.Environmental and Societal Benefits of BiofuelsWidespread adoption of biofuels in Ethiopia would displace up to two million liters of fossil diesel fuel and reduce greenhouse gases by about 4,400 tons daily and 1.6 million tons annually. The coal emissions replaced by biomass would be carbon neutral. Furthermore, the demand for biofuel crops would stimulate rehabilitation of vast tracts of land in East Africa, resulting in profound improved soil and water quality.A significant side benefit to greater land cultivation, employment and economic prosperity is social stability. Government officials supporting the African Power Initiative expect that development of the biofuel industry will reduce conflicts over land and water, and play a vital role for peace in the region.About API Renewable Energy PLCAPI is a public-private partnership formed to develop sustainable energy production and economic growth, API Renewable Energy PLC, was founded in Ethiopia in 2009.With a strong commitment to corporate social responsibility, API’s ambitions for developing the biofuel industry in Ethiopia are built on three pillars: community, government and company.– The community produces seeds, provides labor for land preparation and planting, protects cultivated areas, and harvests the crops.
– The government provides land and infrastructure (roads, electricity and water), mobilizes the community, pays wages for land preparation, and provides overall project management.
– The company buys seeds from the community, provides equipment, pays workers, processes and distributes biofuel, conducts research and development, and manages operations.
As part of its industry development efforts, API has been supported by several Ministries in the Federal Government of Ethiopia as well as the Regional Government of Tigray; The Ethiopian Embassy in Kampala, Uganda and the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign affairs.API has partnered with a wide range of research and development entities, technology providers and end users, including: the India National Oil Seed Research Institute, Makerere University, Mekelle University, Mesfin Industrial Engineering, Messobo Cement Factory, Nile Petroleum Co. LTD, Tigray Co-operative Agency, and Yale University.API has also worked closely with UNDP Ethiopia on climate change mitigation – specifically the use of biomass in the cement industry and the development of carbon credits; in addition API is working expanding the renewable energy sector and proper usage of agro waste of energy with ISWAS Group LLC and Green Fuel Solutions.@APIEnergyContact Information
African Power Initiative
Alan Oyugi
203-674-9215
Contact
africanpowerinitiative.com
@API
Energy
Over half a million Ethiopian farmers will be financially included by "Amole" digital wallet.
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Dec. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — API Renewable Energy, PLC launches Ethiopia’s first commercial-scale biodiesel refinery in the Adama Industrial Zone. At the event ceremony held at Hilton Hotel Addis Ababa, API and Moneta Technologies, SC signed an agreement to use “Amole” for payment of seeds and services to community farmers.The goals of API are to rehabilitate degraded lands, create large-scale employment and improve the region’s environment while financially including over half a million farmers using “Amole” digital wallet.Amole has signed up over quarter a million subscribers since it launched in July 2018 and will offer the community farmers, rural cooperatives, regional governments and NGO’s a digital commerce platform. Amole will be used to pay farmers for seeds and services, pay workers salary, buy goods and credits from rural cooperatives; all will have access to Dashen Bank’s extensive branch network, mobile money agents and Amole merchants to financially include the half a million community farmers into a digital ecosystem. API and Amole will jointly develop additional opportunities in digital payment capabilities for API’s entire supply and demand chain business.Marcos Bitew, CEO of API, said, “API and Amole partnership will bring financial inclusion for the unbanked and underbanked farmers, API is happy to partner with Amole, our goal for creation of over half a million farm jobs would result in tremendous benefit for the local communities.”Partnering closely with local communities, API invested in seedling development, nursery bed preparation, planting, caretaker training and education of local farmers regarding the benefits of cultivating biofuel crops. This API effort—the first initiative of its kind in the region—resulted in the world’s largest plantation of Jatropha with 1.4 million hectares and the creation of over half a million farm jobs.The community provides labor during land preparation and planting, protects the project area from animals and harvests and supplies Jatropha oil seeds. API buys Jatropha seeds from the community farmers and will provide daily and monthly salaries of project workers through Amole.“By introducing Amole with such initiatives like API’s, we are enabling commerce in the rural communities by supporting farmers, cooperatives, local government, NGO’s and merchants in a sustainable digital ecosystem that goes beyond payment transactions,” said Yemiru Chanyalew, the CEO of Moneta Technologies, SC. “There are many kinds of digital services we can enable with Amole to support the rural communities to create jobs, enable commerce, facilitate pension payments, provide micro insurance and lending plus much more…” Yemiru added.ENDSAbout API Renewable Energy, PLCAPI is a public-private partnership formed to develop sustainable energy production and economic growth, API Renewable Energy PLC, was founded in Ethiopia in 2009. With a strong commitment to corporate social responsibility, API’s ambitions for developing the biofuel industry in Ethiopia are built on three pillars: community, government and company.API has partnered with a wide range of research and development entities, technology providers and end users, including: the India National Oil Seed Research Institute, Makerere University, Mekelle University, Mesfin Industrial Engineering, Messobo Cement Factory, Nile Petroleum Co. LTD, Tigray Co-operative Agency, and Yale University.API has also worked closely with UNDP Ethiopia on climate change mitigation—specifically the use of biomass in the cement industry and the development of carbon credits; in addition, API is working expanding the renewable energy sector and proper usage of agro waste of energy with ISWAS Group LLC and Green Fuel Solutions.For additional information:You may also contact: Alan Oyugi – Director Communications & Public Relations
Phone: +44 203 287 0073 / +1 203 674 9215
Email: alan@africanpowerinitiative.net
About Moneta Technologies, SCMoneta Technologies, S.C. is a FinTech company, fully-owned subsidiary of Fettan Holdings, Limited of Kenya, the company is headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Amole Payment solution is a secure and efficient payment platform that links consumers, banks, merchants, mobile content aggregators and service providers into an electronic payment ecosystem.Amole aims to deliver a collusive financial service to the unbanked and under-banked people of Ethiopia; enabling them access, aggregated financial services from their banks, service providers, agents and merchants at a single point of service.Its mission is to deliver an effective, efficient, reliable, accessible and secure payment system that is relevant to Ethiopia’s environment and fully supports the customer and the country’s needs.For additional information:You may also contact Mr. Samson Getu– Vice President – Sales and Marketing
Mobile: +251 929903278
Email: SamsonG@MyAmole.com
About Dashen BankDashen Bank S.C. was established on September 20, 1995 according to the commercial code of Ethiopia, 1960, and the licensing and supervision of banking business proclamation No. 84/1994.
Dashen Bank, the leading private digital bank in Ethiopia, pioneered electronic banking in Ethiopia and is the only bank accepting the four payment card schemes (Amex, VISA, MasterCard, and UnionPay).
For more: https://dashenbanksc.com/company-profile/For additional information:
You may also contact Mr. Mulugeta Alebachew the Director for Marketing & Corporate Communications at Dashen Bank
Mobile: +251 911 08 36 94
Email: Mulugeta.a@DashenBankSC.com
SOURCE Moneta TechnologiesDue to its profound benefits to the environment, this project has been registered as a Clean Development Mechanism Project by the United Nations Framework on Climate Change board (http://cdm.unfccc.int/Projects/DB/CarbonCheck_Cert1469625284.52/view). Its production cycle combines tree and crop cultivations as sources of feedstocks that provide seeds for biodiesel production, husks for briquette production, and seed cake for biogas and organic fertiliser production. With a production capacity of 18,000,000 Liters of biodiesel per annum, substitution of fossil diesel with biodiesel reduces over 40,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year from the atmosphere. Tree planting reduces over 20,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year from the atmosphere through carbon sequestration while the production and use of briquettes replaces the use of charcoal and firewood thus reducing deforestation.Below are some links to articles on the projecthttp://beta.newvision.co.ug/news/641296-uganda-to-grow-oil-crops-for-biodiesel.htmlhttp://environment.yale.edu/envy/stories/green-fuel-in-east-africa/http://advancedbiofuelsusa.info/africa-power-initiative-to-produce-bio-diesel-by-2012http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2015/02/24/ethiopia-plans-to-revive-to-biodiesel-production/https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/over-half-a-million-ethiopian-farmers-will-be-financially-included-by-amole-digital-wallet-1027772951https://www.pr.com/press-release/770972https://pdf.pr.com/press-release/pr-770972.pdf

Awards and certificates1. ENERGY GLOBE AWARD, WINNER UGANDA, 2012
2. CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION AS FINALIST CTIPFAN BUSINESS
3. PLAN COMPETITION, 2014
4. AFRICA LEADERSHIP AWARD, 2014 FOR PROMOTING RENEWABLE ENERGY
5. AWARD OF RECOGNITION: APPRECIATION OF OUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE COUNTRIES FAST
MOVING DEVELOPMENT BY MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, ADDIS ABABA ETHIOPIA
6. THE GLOBAL CSR EXCELLENCE AND LEADERSHIP AWARD, 2017
7. FAST COMPANY WORLD CHANGING IDEAS 2020 AWARD ASFINALIST/DEVELOPING –WORLD
TECH AND FINALIST/EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA

Tree Planting Partners1. Caritas Uganda
2. Prosper Mama Africa
3. Feastoh group
4. Church of Uganda Ibanda Diocese
5. Institute of Social Transformation
Carbon Trading1. Argali CarbonDevelopment Partners1. SNV
2. UBA
3. UNDP Ethiopia
4. Crested capital
5. Prime poultry
6. Norwegian Green Energy
7. Centre for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering Yale University
8. AECF
9. Venerable Capital
10. SPV Holdings
11. Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
12. Government of Uganda
13. Fitsy Group
14. Universities i.e St. Joseph University, Bishop Stuart University, Uganda Christian University.
15. Bank of Africa.

About UsAfrican Power Initiative (API) is a renewable energy company incorporated in 2006 as a private limited company and is working to sustainably produce biodiesel fuel as an environmentally friendly and cheaper option to fossil diesel for Uganda. With a company vision of “A region self-sufficient in the production of green energy”, API’s project purpose is to provide a clean, competitive, and high-quality energy option, while contributing to the creation of job opportunities, climate change mitigation, and economic development efforts of Uganda. API’s target is to produce 60,000 liters of biodiesel per day. The project mainly entails three diverse components i.e. feedstock supply, conversion technology, and energy use. Currently, API produces 4000 liters of biodiesel per month and is upscaling this production capacity to
20,000 liters per day. Biodiesel is used in automotives as fuel for transportation, and as a source of heat and electricity in stationary appliances like generators and furnaces. An out-growers scheme has been established in which over 10,000 farmers have been recruited to grow and supply oilseeds to API. API has chosen to use non-food oil seeds such as candlenuts, jatropha seeds, and castor seeds among others. Candlenut seeds have been selected as the main source of oil and are being promoted for the out-growers scheme because they give the highest returns for the farmers, and have high oil content with good properties for biodiesel production. In collaboration with Uganda
National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), the Uganda biodiesel standards have been developed, and the project has been registered as a Clean Development Mechanism project by the UNFCCC hence can
reduce up to 41,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually from the environment at full production through substitution of use of fossil fuels with biodiesel as a clean fuel.
Other value chain products include briquettes that substitute the use of firewood and charcoal thus reducing deforestation; crude glycerin which can substitute imported glycerin; and seedcake which can be
converted into a high organic fertilizer that improves soil productivity and agricultural yields. An environmental Impact Assessment of the project has been carried out and approved by the National
Environmental Management Authority (NEMA).
API’s Objectives- Place API as a leading regional player in the processing and distribution of both automotive biodiesel and Bio-Jet (aviation fuel) in Africa and the entire world.
- Contribute to the overall regional goal of poverty eradication through job creation
- Contribute to sustainable environmental management throughout Sub-Saharan Africa through tree planting, production of green energy, and promotion of its use
- Contribute to global efforts of mitigation measures to reduce the global concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as a mechanism to address global climatic change
- Empower the local population through the creation of wealth, improved health, and Education
- Reduce import expenditures on petroleum fuel while at the same time increasing export earnings through the production of automotive bio-diesel and Bio-jet respectively.
Given the skyrocketing prices of crude petroleum and the growing concerns about greenhouse emissions in both automotive and aero planes, focusing on renewable sources to meet energy needs is key to addressing the critical need. In that direction, API has strategized itself to be among the leading producers of green energy with the main focus on the production of Bio-diesel for automotive fleets, stationary appliances, and jet Bio-diesel for the airline industry, as a substitute for petroleum-based fuels.In Uganda, API has been running a pilot mini-refinery, which has been operational since 2009. This was API proof of concept entailing research on feedstock feasibility, product testing, and project sustainability on biodiesel production. Fertilizer and glycerin along with other by-products are produced and manufactured in this operation. Upon successful implementation of the pilot mini-refinery, API has embarked on the development of a biodiesel production facility with the capacity to produce 60,000 liters per day of biodiesel, 18 million liters per year, in Mukono district, Uganda.In Ethiopia, API Renewable Energy PLC is in the process of developing a mini-production facility with the capacity to produce 12,000 liters per day of biodiesel and an industrial facility with the capacity to produce 200,000 liters per day of biodiesel.Company Location
The company has launched its operations in two African states namely Uganda and Ethiopia. Plans are underway to expand to Burundi, Kenya, and Tanzania. African Power Initiative, Uganda office, and mini refinery are located on Plot 1929 Kansanga. API Ethiopia office is located in Addis Ababa with major field operations in the Mekelle, Tigray region