Activist and musician Bob Geldof has been announced as the keynote speaker at World Biofuels Markets 2009 (WBM09) to be held March 16-19 in Brussels, Belgium.

Geldof, an Irish musician who launched his activist career by organizing Live Aid in 1985, will discuss how he believes biofuels can help developing countries become more energy independent without impacting food production. He and along with other speakers will discuss the sustainable bio future and how this could help eradicate poverty, particularly across the African continent.

In an interview with WBM, Geldof explained how he sees biofuels helping Africa. “Import substitution. More money in the economy. More jobs. Domestic fuel at the local level,” he says. “Africa has always used “bio-fuel” as a primary source – wood, dung, residue etc. They can build responsibly on this tradition.”

The WBM09 website states: Biofuels has come under a concerted media campaign alleging that they are all unsustainable and have adverse impacts. Some biofuels can be harmful to the environment but most biofuels provide a positive energy balance, can play an increasing role in reducing transport emissions, can be developed from feedstocks without impacting food production, can be grown on land without impacting delicate ecosystems or water use, can help alleviate poverty in developing countries.