Strategic Recommendations for Advancing Nigeria’s Biofuel Industry leveraging RuleWatcher

Author

Talatu Clara Tarfa, M.Sc

Energy Access Consultant

To remain competitive on a global scale, we must recognize that we live in a dynamic and ever-evolving world. Practices considered best-in-class today can quickly become outdated and irrelevant tomorrow—and in some cases, even harmful when viewed against new developments.

The same holds true for an innovative industry like the biofuel industry. Recent developments in the global biofuel industry today range from increased percentage blending mandates to the exploration of new crops such as wheat as feedstock to produce ethanol. These are some of the recent trends fostering the growth of the industry today.

General Overview

As a researcher and professional in the energy and climate change nexus in Nigeria, I spend hours a day conducting research on climate mitigation measures and areas of development for the country considering her abundant and largely untapped resources.

A recent business interest in Nigeria’s biofuel potential from a client company led to my next research endeavour – Nigeria’s biofuel sector. As I began the work on policy aspects, my attention was drawn to the fact that the overarching official policy on biofuel in Nigeria was last written almost 20 years ago. I clearly had my work cut out for me.

To accomplish such an extensive feat in a limited amount of time, I decided to engage the services of an ‘expert’ in climate mitigation as my research assistant. One of the core competencies of this assistant is its unique ability to monitor and analyze regulatory, legal, and policy documents and enhance policymaking, making it the perfect assistant for this task. This is no other than RuleWatcher – a powerful tool for research in global policy trends and comparative law.

This article briefly describes how I used the RuleWatcher in my work to provide key recommendations for the revision of the Nigerian Biofuel Policy (2007), which is anticipated in the near future.

Description of Research

The demand for biofuels as an alternative fuel to petrol is increasing globally and so it is important for countries with emerging markets to strengthen policy and enabling environment for its increased production and trade.

Therefore, the aim of undertaking this research was to explore advancements and trends in the global biofuel industry which have resulted in its growth and increased demand. This can potentially influence policy direction for Nigeria and provide evidence-based information for decision-makers and stakeholders.

How RuleWatcher was Used

First, I employed generative AI (Chat GPT) to highlight the provisions of the national biofuel policy and identify possible challenges of its implementation in today’s world. The result provided areas of interest and intersection to be identified on the RuleWatcher.

On the RuleWatcher, I carried out a general search using the keyword ‘biofuel’. The application returned 1,273 results and it was found under the theme of ‘climate mitigation’.

To narrow down my research, and discover what sub-categories existed in the ‘biofuel’ tag, I used the Tree Map function of the RuleWatcher. This made it easier for me to identify and select areas of interest without drowning in irrelevant data.

Figure showing RuleWatcher ‘Tree Map’ function on a ‘Biofuel’ keyword search

I increased the number of items displayed from 50 to 150 to widen my search and view the categorization of more articles. Upon examining the topics covered, I narrowed down my search to the ‘Biodiesel and Renewable Diesel’ topic as seen below, which is a major area of concentration in Nigeria’s national policy.

The result? A group of articles related to the chosen area. See figure below.

Next, I proceeded to select one area of interest. After selection, the article link appears on the side pane as seen below, with other related keywords and a brief description.

By clicking on the article link, you are directed to the source webpage, which is a recent publication on the Government Agency of Brazil website, as shown below.

Findings and Usefulness

RuleWatcher was helpful in directing me to sources of up-t0-date information on the subject matter across countries of the world. Below are some of my findings via targeted research on the RuleWatcher:

• Development of the first wheat ethanol production plant in Brazil (exploration of wheat as a biofuel feedstock)

• Increased blending mandates of ethanol in gasoline to 30% (E30) and biodiesel in diesel to 15% (B15) to expand the use of locally produced biofuel

• A mandate for the replacement of diesel by biodiesel in the transportation industry which contributes significantly to carbon emissions

• Partnership with the private sector, leading biofuel research agency and National Bank for Economic and Social Development to ensure that biofuel production does not compete with food production

• Investments into harvest expansion, new refineries, and new research and development plants

• Dual functioning of ethanol production plant; producing ethanol as a fuel and cereal bran to be used in animal feed

• Use of technology to ensure that farmers can plant more and harvest more with less land to eliminate deforestation and issues with limited land use

• Involvement of vehicle manufacturers, importers, and automotive industry representatives to confirm the safety and technical feasibility of blends and allow for their immediate adoption and distribution

These findings provided me with a basis for recommendations in the Nigerian context, considering what our unique resources are.

Comparison with Other Services

While other platforms can provide research findings relating to scientific or technological advancements in the biofuel industry, the RuleWatcher is tailored to track, filter, and analyze policy, legal, and regulatory documents across borders and jurisdictions. This ensures that the results obtained are not random and ambiguous, but are put into context and are provided in one place, thus making it easier for researchers like myself to obtain information on focus areas.

Conclusion and Future Perspectives

Using the RuleWatcher on this project was truly a game changer. I found sufficient information for policy direction for Nigeria and gained additional insights on how a nation can achieve energy sovereignty through biofuels as demonstrated by the nation of Brazil.

This promises to be the first of many uses of RuleWatcher in my line of work and I am certain it will be useful to you too.

References

Government Agency of Brazil (June 2025). ‘More biofuel in the mix: lower price, less pollution and greater autonomy’ https://agenciagov.ebc.com.br/noticias/202506/mais-biocombustivel-menos-poluente-mais-barato-maior-autonomia (Accessed on September 26, 2025)

Government Agency of Brazil (January 2025). ‘New PAC will invest R$30.5 billion in low-carbon fuel projects by 2030’ https://agenciagov.ebc.com.br/noticias/202509/novo-pac-investira-r-30-5-bi-em-projetos-de-combustiveis-de-baixo-carbono-ate-2030 (Accessed on September 26, 2025)

Ministry of Mines and Energy, Brazil (September 2025). ‘Fuel of the Future - Brazil advances in fuel self-sufficiency with approval of E30 and B15’ https://www.gov.br/mme/pt-br/assuntos/noticias/brasil-avanca-na-autossuficiencia-de-combustiveis-com-aprovacao-do-e30-e-b15 (Accessed on September 29, 2025)