Association revamps to improve services

The Southern African Biogas Industry Association (Sabia) will introduce its updated business plan and path to reach its 2030 goals at its ‘Vision 2030 – building a sustainable Southern African biogas market’ round table next month.

Hosted by Sabia, the round table will include a discussion by representatives from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), global industry body the World Biogas Association, as well as government and financial representatives in the environmental space.

Sabia has lauded its partnership with UNIDO, stating that the organisation was a key role player in the development and implementation of several projects in the biogas sector.

Through this round table, Sabia aims to define the organisation's growth and strategic direction, thereby ensuring that it and the biogas industry grows in not only South Africa but also the Southern Africa region.

“By 2030, Sabia aims to support the unlocking of the renewable-energy capacity of the biogas industry to its fullest potential and to ensure that members capitalise on local market opportunities,” says Sabia steering committee member David Sobey.

Although there has been a lull in the sector in recent times, “there has been activity with new projects being conceptualised and developed”, he adds.

Meanwhile, Sabia aims to foster strong collaborative partnerships that will drive socioeconomic development in the sector.

It will also, along with its partners and key stakeholders, drive the creation of biogas market opportunities for the benefit of members.

The association stresses that it is imperative that the potential of the biogas sector be regarded as a strong contributor to the future of sustainable energy.

However, growth in the sector will only be made possible with the support from government, legislation and further opening up of the renewable energy mix in the circular economy.

Holding government accountable for meeting nationally determined contribution pledges and targets under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is a primary goal of the association.

Further, Sabia’s updated business plan will improve stakeholder engagement with strategic partners, consequently allowing for the financial flexibility it needs to employ full-time staff.

It will also implement working groups to increase the direct involvement of members in shaping the biogas sector.

An additional goal for Sabia is working towards formalised industry training to increase knowledge transfer within the biogas industry.

The updated Sabia strategy is the last of the current UNIDO projects in support of Sabia to ensure that the association can continue to function sustainably without having to rely solely on volunteer assistance.

In a newsletter published in July, Sabia thanked its outgoing board directors Eddie Cooke, Jason Gifford and Rob Cloete for their contributions to the association and input in driving the biogas industry in South Africa.