Africa with its abundant natural resources such as minerals, hydrocarbons, fertile soil, rare elements, diverse speciality crops; and immense potential of its young population promises a bright future. However, this continent has been long plundered and exploited by exterior forces especially in the late 19th century’s “Scramble for Africa”.Even though it gained its independence from colonising nations, Africa still faces many hardships in its social, political, and economic path to development. Thanks to its energy potential and world’s -especially EU’s- search for new energy markets, the continent’s destiny and geopolitical situation might shift positively in the future.
African land is already holding a significant position and potential in energy markets with its grand potential for green energy and vast hydrocarbon reserves that’s been extracted for decades. Within the continent there lies areas with long daylight hours such as Saharan and Namibian Desert, areas rich in geothermal energy (i.e. northeastern coasts of the continent), rivers flowing with the hydroelectric potential (a.k.a Nile River). Northern and southwestern coasts of Africa are home to one of the world’s largest hydrocarbon reserves in the planet holding billions of barrels of crude oil and cubic metres of gas. Over the last decade new gas and oil fields have been discovered in areas that weren’t known of their hydrocarbon reserves before.
These fields discovered in Ghana, Senegal, Mauritania, Rwanda, D. Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, and Namibia; have the potential to solve many chronic problems of these countries by providing enough energy for distributing electricity to their populations, making new sources of income for state treasuries which could be used to pay the increased debt of these countries by the Global Debt Crisis, and funding infrastructure or social programs with hydrocarbon export revenues. Even though these discoveries create a positive impression about the region’s future on paper, the reality is far more complex. In just a decade the region is already facing different kinds of hardships in harnessing its resources for development. These are: rising terrorism fuelled by extremist groups, conflicts between countries on reserve areas, intervention of multi-national oil companies in the region in order to compete for licenses, severed corruption due to increased foreign capital flow into the region.
Currently in Cabo Delgado, the region where Mozambique’s natural gas resources was discovered, the conflict escalated. This region has already been an area of conflict between Mozambique and Ansar Al-Sunnah group before the discovery. After the discovery of natural gas reserves; unlicensed extractors and multinational companies, Total Energy from France in this case, started investing to the region. Total Energies gained the license from the Mozambican government for extracting the gas and establishing LNG facilities in Cabo Delgado region. However constructions were annulled due to the Ansar Al-Sunnah’s assaults close to the LNG processing facility’s construction. Total Energies aims to begin extraction in 2028, but the region's fragile security situation casts doubt on the feasibility of this timeline. According to a survey held by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), majority of Mozambicans blame the discoveries for the escalated conflict.
The post-colonial map of Africa’s newly-born countries was drawn by the colonial powers according to their economic interests rather than national, cultural or religious borders in the region. As a result post-colonial period has been marked with territorial, ecclesiastical, and ethnic disputes often culminating in massacres. Even though most of these crises were resolved through foreign intervention and bureaucratic dialogue, some of these conflicts lasted to this day. For instance, the ethnic tensions in Rwanda between the rival tribes of Hutus and Tutsis caused a genocide and fuelled First and Second Congolese Wars that plunged the region into bloodshed, poverty, and instability. The conflict between Rwanda and DRC about the Kivu region still continues to this day. Recently Rwanda announced oil discoveries under the conflicted Kivu Lake Basin. Following the announcement Rwandan forces crossed the Congolese border and the conflict escalated again due to the increase in region’s value.
Many current hydrocarbon producer countries in Africa suffer from high levels of corruption and unequal distribution of hydrocarbon revenues. For instance, Nigeria ranks as the world's 10th largest crude oil producer. Since the oil was first discovered in the mid-20th century, Nigeria has long struggled with political instability and corruption, exacerbated by multinational oil companies vying for control over oil field licenses. Even though the level of corruption diminished by time, corruption in country’s oil sector is still from one of the major problems in Nigeria. Major multinational companies such as Total Energies, ExxonMobil, Eni, and Shell have been key players in Africa’s corruption-ridden oil sector. For example; in March 2017 Eni and Shell were fined billions of dollars for corruption in Nigeria, in June 2023 Total Energy has been accused with human rights violations in Uganda and Tanzania, in April 2022 Exxonmobil’s connection to 29 bribery scandals in 5 continents has been pointed out in the world press. These companies are also the discoverers and license holders of the newly discovered hydrocarbon reserves. If history is any indication, these newly discovered reserves could either be a path to prosperity or yet another avenue for exploitation. Without stringent regulations and transparent governance, Africa may once again find itself at the mercy of foreign interests—raising the question of whether a second 'Scramble for Africa' is already underway.
The new hydrocarbon discoveries across Africa bring both hope and danger. On paper, they seem like a chance to solve some of the continent’s biggest problems, but in reality, they might just deepen corruption, fuel conflicts, and keep foreign powers in control. With multinational companies and governments rushing to secure their share, Africa once again stands at a crossroads. Will these resources finally bring real development, or are we just witnessing the beginning of a second Scramble for Africa?
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