Please use this thread to post critical sources and interesting articles about the new Scramble for Africa. All major superpowers are moving extremely fast on the Continent. It's obvious that sub-saharan Africa is the last frontier when it comes to oil exploration and exploitation.
With the mod's permission, this thread deals with geopolitics, development and oil in Africa, mainly as a place to gather sources. (Please post yours in a separate post, I will paste them in here).
(sub-saharan Africa only, plz).
GENERAL INFO: GEOPOLITICS OF OIL & DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA
:: Catholic Relief Services [report]: Bottom of the Barrel: Africa's Oil Boom and the Poor http://www.catholicrelief.org/get_invol ... rt_one.cfm
:: Le Monde Diplomatique article: UNE PRIORITÉ GÉOSTRATÉGIQUE Offensive sur l’or noir africain http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/2003/01/SERVANT/9856
:: BBC article: How important is African oil? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3054948.stm
:: The Nation article: U.S. Oil Politics in the 'Kuwait of Africa' http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20 ... ilverstein
:: The Nation article: Africa's Oil Tycoons http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml%3Fi= ... &s=eviatar
:: BBC article: US Interests in African oil http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3054948.stm
:: NYTimes article: In Quietly Courting Africa, U.S. Likes the Dowry: Oil http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0919-09.htm
:: "african oil politics" - excellent blog: http://africanoilpolitics.blogspot.com/
COUNTRY FILES
ANGOLA & CABINDA
CAMEROUN
CHAD
::NGO monitoring the Chad Cameroun Petroleum projects:
Groupe de Recherches Alternatives et de Monitoring du projet Pétrole Tchad- Cameroun
http://www.gramptc.org/Actualite/Point%20presse.htm
:: Catholic Relief Services: Chad's Oil: Miracle or Mirage? Following the Money in Africa's Newest Petro-State
http://www.catholicrelief.org/get_invol ... report.cfm
CONGO BRAZZAVILLE
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
ETHIOPIA
GABON
NAMIBIA
NIGERIA
SÃO TOMÉ & PRINCIPÉ
:: BBC article: Sao Tome opens historic oil bids http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3219409.stm
:: BBC article: Oil Key to Sao Tome http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3070813.stm
:: BBC article: US naval base to protect Sao Tome oil http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3219409.stm
SUDAN
:: European Coalition on Oil in Sudan (very interesting website which takes a critical look at what's going on in southern Sudan - where China's CNPC is the biggest player). http://www.ecosonline.org/
PeakOil is You
THE Africa Thread (merged)
The Scramble for Africa
by lorenzo » Thu 14 Jul 2005, 14:19:42
Last edited by Ferretlover on Wed 11 Mar 2009, 22:35:20, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Merged with THE Africa Thread.
Reason: Merged with THE Africa Thread.
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by shakespear1 » Thu 14 Jul 2005, 14:31:35
At one time I thought that the worst place I have seen on Earth were the slums in Manila. However when I arrived in Luanda, Angola I changed my mind.
Hell on Earth is in Angola. In Luanda. The oil and diamonds there ( de Beers is back ) will not change it.
Hell on Earth is in Angola. In Luanda. The oil and diamonds there ( de Beers is back ) will not change it.
Men argue, nature acts !
Voltaire
"...In the absence of the gold standard, there is no way to protect savings from confiscation through inflation."
Alan Greenspan
Voltaire
"...In the absence of the gold standard, there is no way to protect savings from confiscation through inflation."
Alan Greenspan
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by shakespear1 » Thu 14 Jul 2005, 16:15:43
I had the pleasure of landing in Kinshasa on my way to Luanda. The airport looked Devilish. Poor country ( in terms of governance ). 
Men argue, nature acts !
Voltaire
"...In the absence of the gold standard, there is no way to protect savings from confiscation through inflation."
Alan Greenspan
Voltaire
"...In the absence of the gold standard, there is no way to protect savings from confiscation through inflation."
Alan Greenspan
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Poor Africans
by thorn » Fri 26 Aug 2005, 11:44:04
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '[')b]Poor Africans hit hard by rising world oil prices By David Mageria
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Africans are struggling to cope with stubbornly high global oil prices which are forcing many to walk long distances to work or schools, go hungry as food prices skyrocket, and depend on candles to light their homes. Crude oil prices surged to a record $68 a barrel this week on supply concerns, raising fears of further fuel hikes in Africa where burdened families were already reeling from rises.
"If they are increased again, I will be left with no food to feed my orphans because (food) prices will go up because of transport costs," said Mai Wisiki, a grandmother with four orphans in Malawi's Chiradzulu district. Across Africa, prices at the pump are ballooning at an alarming rate, pushing millions of people on the world's poorest continent deeper into poverty and adding to the threat to the continent's forests, the source of much of its firewood.
Many rural homes in Africa do not have electricity and depend on kerosene to light their small lamps and cooking stoves in the evenings. But the price of kerosene is becoming unaffordable for many. "Nowadays I cannot afford to buy kerosene for my children to study, I can only afford to buy candles," said Margaret Njuki, a single mother of three and a tea farmer in central Kenya. The need for an affordable alternative source of power is also putting pressure on forests.
"Every day things are going from bad to worse. Because of the increase in the price of cooking gas, I have reverted to using firewood and charcoal," said Melanie Ndoh, a civil servant and housewife in Cameroon, where the government last week raised prices for fuel products by 8 CFA francs per litre. With transport cost rising daily, many motorists have been forced to change their lifestyles and are now trekking to their work places. Others have opted to ride bicyles while small traders hire handcarts to save on transport costs.
"I have a car that I have now parked. I cannot afford fuel because I have other needs such as paying school fees for my children, rent and food," said John Shiundu, a shopkeeper outside Nairobi's city centre. Students have not been spared. "I have to walk for eight km to school and another eight km back home just to save some money," said Lewis Nyirenda, a college student in the Zambian capital Lusaka.
"GARGANTUAN OIL PRICE" Although Africa's powerhouse South Africa has said it expects strong economic growth despite high oil prices, many on the continent say the rises pose a threat to economic goals due to soaring inflation and weakened local currencies. "The recent gargantuan oil price increases could be disastrous for African economies," Augustin Fosu, the director of economics and social policy division at the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa told Reuters.
"Although a handful of countries that are oil-producing should benefit, the vast majority of African countries are non-oil producing and their economies will be significantly hurt by these negative supply shocks." He said global growth is likely to be reduced which will cut export demand for African goods. Many African countries could also be forced to reallocate funds in their budgets away from crucial development projects to meet with a high oil budget. High oil prices are also raising social tensions and some governments are grappling with protests.
In the west African country of Guinea, the government increased oil prices in May to 3,800 Guinean francs from 2,500 francs prompting a group of armed youths to attack several lorries carrying rice, the country's staple food, to deter the government from further hikes. Some African governments like Ethiopia, Mauritius and tiny Seychelles are yet to raise petrol prices, but not for too long.
In Mauritius, the government's Automatic Price Mechanism committe is scheduled to review petrol prices in October. Analysts say prices will go only one way -- up. "If the price of petrol is adjusted as it should, the first effect will be a further deterioration of the trade deficit", said Mahmood Cheeroo, the director of the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Article found at : http://www.energybulletin.net/newswire.php?id=8378
Original article : http://za.today.reuters.com/news/NewsAr ... 8-26T09010
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Africans are struggling to cope with stubbornly high global oil prices which are forcing many to walk long distances to work or schools, go hungry as food prices skyrocket, and depend on candles to light their homes. Crude oil prices surged to a record $68 a barrel this week on supply concerns, raising fears of further fuel hikes in Africa where burdened families were already reeling from rises.
"If they are increased again, I will be left with no food to feed my orphans because (food) prices will go up because of transport costs," said Mai Wisiki, a grandmother with four orphans in Malawi's Chiradzulu district. Across Africa, prices at the pump are ballooning at an alarming rate, pushing millions of people on the world's poorest continent deeper into poverty and adding to the threat to the continent's forests, the source of much of its firewood.
Many rural homes in Africa do not have electricity and depend on kerosene to light their small lamps and cooking stoves in the evenings. But the price of kerosene is becoming unaffordable for many. "Nowadays I cannot afford to buy kerosene for my children to study, I can only afford to buy candles," said Margaret Njuki, a single mother of three and a tea farmer in central Kenya. The need for an affordable alternative source of power is also putting pressure on forests.
"Every day things are going from bad to worse. Because of the increase in the price of cooking gas, I have reverted to using firewood and charcoal," said Melanie Ndoh, a civil servant and housewife in Cameroon, where the government last week raised prices for fuel products by 8 CFA francs per litre. With transport cost rising daily, many motorists have been forced to change their lifestyles and are now trekking to their work places. Others have opted to ride bicyles while small traders hire handcarts to save on transport costs.
"I have a car that I have now parked. I cannot afford fuel because I have other needs such as paying school fees for my children, rent and food," said John Shiundu, a shopkeeper outside Nairobi's city centre. Students have not been spared. "I have to walk for eight km to school and another eight km back home just to save some money," said Lewis Nyirenda, a college student in the Zambian capital Lusaka.
"GARGANTUAN OIL PRICE" Although Africa's powerhouse South Africa has said it expects strong economic growth despite high oil prices, many on the continent say the rises pose a threat to economic goals due to soaring inflation and weakened local currencies. "The recent gargantuan oil price increases could be disastrous for African economies," Augustin Fosu, the director of economics and social policy division at the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa told Reuters.
"Although a handful of countries that are oil-producing should benefit, the vast majority of African countries are non-oil producing and their economies will be significantly hurt by these negative supply shocks." He said global growth is likely to be reduced which will cut export demand for African goods. Many African countries could also be forced to reallocate funds in their budgets away from crucial development projects to meet with a high oil budget. High oil prices are also raising social tensions and some governments are grappling with protests.
In the west African country of Guinea, the government increased oil prices in May to 3,800 Guinean francs from 2,500 francs prompting a group of armed youths to attack several lorries carrying rice, the country's staple food, to deter the government from further hikes. Some African governments like Ethiopia, Mauritius and tiny Seychelles are yet to raise petrol prices, but not for too long.
In Mauritius, the government's Automatic Price Mechanism committe is scheduled to review petrol prices in October. Analysts say prices will go only one way -- up. "If the price of petrol is adjusted as it should, the first effect will be a further deterioration of the trade deficit", said Mahmood Cheeroo, the director of the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Article found at : http://www.energybulletin.net/newswire.php?id=8378
Original article : http://za.today.reuters.com/news/NewsAr ... 8-26T09010
Last edited by Ferretlover on Wed 11 Mar 2009, 22:41:52, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Merged with THE Africa Thread.
Reason: Merged with THE Africa Thread.
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thorn - Lignite
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Re: Poor Africans hit hard by rising world oil prices
by Cynus » Fri 26 Aug 2005, 12:27:56
Behold the true face of demand destruction. Remember, this article could very well be our future, not just something that happens to those hapless Africans. Economists coldly refer to all this starvation, darkness, deforestation, and cold as "demand going down."
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Re: Poor Africans hit hard by rising world oil prices
by Tyler_JC » Fri 26 Aug 2005, 14:30:51
The noble sacrifice of poor Africans allows for the continuation of the wasteful lifestyle of me and mine. 
"www.peakoil.com is the Myspace of the Apocalypse."
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Re: Poor Africans hit hard by rising world oil prices
by MrBean » Fri 26 Aug 2005, 20:42:04
Good business opportunities for local candle-makers!
Honestly, I don't see any other major problems except food supply, and AFAIK great percentage of Africans are still substinence farmers using old methods. The poorest of poor, who never entered the oil-economy, will not be greatly affected, and generally, Africa will not drop from high, has less adjusting to make for post-oil economy than the wealthy and can do it, at least in theory, faster than North. It's the "higher they fall" factor which will make people do grazy things. The poor can share, by necessitity they have allways had to share, but rich will have a steep learning curve in that respect.
Honestly, I don't see any other major problems except food supply, and AFAIK great percentage of Africans are still substinence farmers using old methods. The poorest of poor, who never entered the oil-economy, will not be greatly affected, and generally, Africa will not drop from high, has less adjusting to make for post-oil economy than the wealthy and can do it, at least in theory, faster than North. It's the "higher they fall" factor which will make people do grazy things. The poor can share, by necessitity they have allways had to share, but rich will have a steep learning curve in that respect.
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Re: Poor Africans hit hard by rising world oil prices
by Omnitir » Fri 26 Aug 2005, 21:52:46
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MrBean', 'G')ood business opportunities for local candle-makers!
The poorest of poor, who never entered the oil-economy, will not be greatly affected, and generally, Africa will not drop from high, has less adjusting to make for post-oil economy than the wealthy and can do it, at least in theory, faster than North. It's the "higher they fall" factor which will make people do grazy things. The poor can share, by necessitity they have allways had to share, but rich will have a steep learning curve in that respect.
The poorest of poor, who never entered the oil-economy, will not be greatly affected, and generally, Africa will not drop from high, has less adjusting to make for post-oil economy than the wealthy and can do it, at least in theory, faster than North. It's the "higher they fall" factor which will make people do grazy things. The poor can share, by necessitity they have allways had to share, but rich will have a steep learning curve in that respect.
I completely disagree. The poorer the rich nations of the world become, the poorer the third world becomes. As we (the rich west) go into economic upheaval, aid will be cut, and those masses living in poverty will be even worse off then they are now. Yes the rich have a long way to fall, but the poor don’t have far to fall – with no safety net, all they have below them is death.
As for the poorest of the poor not having entered into the oil economy – that’s a fallacy. Everyone is hugely dependent on oil, even the poor who don’t have consumer goods. They rely heavily on the wealth of oil rich economies to survive. These people do not have some kind of self-sustained system to keep them alive; they rely on external aid from oil-powered economies. When the rich can no longer afford to provide oil-powered aid, the poor will die.
Those on the poverty line will not be spared the affects of PO simply because they currently cope without the consumer items we take for granted. As the article indicates, even the poor are hugely dependent on oil. Those in poverty will be the first to die.
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Re: Poor Africans hit hard by rising world oil prices
by MrBean » Sat 27 Aug 2005, 00:11:35
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Omnitir', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MrBean', 'G')ood business opportunities for local candle-makers!
The poorest of poor, who never entered the oil-economy, will not be greatly affected, and generally, Africa will not drop from high, has less adjusting to make for post-oil economy than the wealthy and can do it, at least in theory, faster than North. It's the "higher they fall" factor which will make people do grazy things. The poor can share, by necessitity they have allways had to share, but rich will have a steep learning curve in that respect.
The poorest of poor, who never entered the oil-economy, will not be greatly affected, and generally, Africa will not drop from high, has less adjusting to make for post-oil economy than the wealthy and can do it, at least in theory, faster than North. It's the "higher they fall" factor which will make people do grazy things. The poor can share, by necessitity they have allways had to share, but rich will have a steep learning curve in that respect.
I completely disagree. The poorer the rich nations of the world become, the poorer the third world becomes. As we (the rich west) go into economic upheaval, aid will be cut, and those masses living in poverty will be even worse off then they are now. Yes the rich have a long way to fall, but the poor don’t have far to fall – with no safety net, all they have below them is death.
As for the poorest of the poor not having entered into the oil economy – that’s a fallacy. Everyone is hugely dependent on oil, even the poor who don’t have consumer goods. They rely heavily on the wealth of oil rich economies to survive. These people do not have some kind of self-sustained system to keep them alive; they rely on external aid from oil-powered economies. When the rich can no longer afford to provide oil-powered aid, the poor will die.
Those on the poverty line will not be spared the affects of PO simply because they currently cope without the consumer items we take for granted. As the article indicates, even the poor are hugely dependent on oil. Those in poverty will be the first to die.
You make it sound as if poor are parasites of the rich, and not the othew way around, or that modern globalized model of corporate neocolonialism is some form of charity?!
How, exactly, do the poorest of the poor substinence farmers "rely heavily on the wealth of oil rich economies to survive" (except in cases of acute famine when Media chooses to pay attention, which I don't mean to belittle, but are beside the actual point)?
I don't claim to know enough of all the complexities involved to form a well grounded opinion of Africa's future or poor-rich comparison after PO - or what should be compared to begin with - and perhaps the truth lies somewhere in the middle of dunno what, but IMHO the OP article is quite simplistic and condescending.
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. (For us oil-rich nations it's a great boon to our chemical/fertilizer industry 
)
