Jatropha has been known in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa for generations. It has been planted as hedges (to serve as a „living fence“) or has been used for artisan soap production or medicinal purposes. Development agencies supported pilots for decentralized rural energy supply.
Today, significant investments in cultivating Jatropha as an energy crop take place in Africa. However, there are strong regional disparities:
- Northern Africa: There are very little Jatropharelated activities due to the extreme arid climatic conditions; several pilot projects that make use of sewage water for a year-round irrigation are tested in Egypt.
- Western Africa: Mali and the Cape Verde Islands have a long-tradition in Jatropha cultivation; the focus in Mali lies on the use of pure plant oil for village energy supply. However, large-scale projects are currently prepared in several West African countries, such as Ghana, Nigeria or Cameroon.
- East Africa: The largest project developments have been reported in Tanzania, followed by Ethiopia. Jatropha-related activities have started at a small scale also in Kenya and Uganda and are likely to rise dynamically.
- Southern Africa (including Madagascar): Apart from Botswana, Angola and – due to the prohibition of commercial Jatropha plantations – South Africa, ambitious commercial operations are currently developed throughout Southern Africa. The largest acreage under cultivation currently exist in Madagascar and Zambia, with each about 35,000 hectares, followed by Mozambique.
In total, GEXSI estimates that approximately 119,000 ha are currently under cultivation in Africa, with total area expected to increase to approximately 2 million ha by 2015.
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Market Overview 
