Archive for 2020

Egypt’s Golden Triangle

Via Al Monitor, a look at how Egypt is currently developing the Golden Triangle area, which was recently designated as the richest in iron, copper, gold and phosphate minerals: The Egyptian government has recently described the Golden Triangle as one of the richest economic areas in Egypt given its large mineral reserves. The Golden Triangle lies in Abu […]

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The Taliban, at Least, Are Striking Gold in Afghanistan

Via Foreign Policy, a report on how the militant group mines almost half a billion dollars a year from Afghan soil—and wants more: For decades, Afghanistan’s untapped mineral wealth has been touted as the country’s trillion-dollar El Dorado. But while the Afghan government has never been able to monetize mountains of copper, iron ore, gold, and […]

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Angola’s Privatization Program to Generate $160 Million

Via Africa Oil & Power, an article on Angola’s planned privatization program: Angola’s Privatization Program is expected to generate over $160 million (100 billion Angolan Kwanzas) in revenue through the divestment of 51 state assets this year.  Forty-five companies will complete the process of privatization by the end of this month, with the rest to […]

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TAT Railway Project: A Road That Was Never Built

Via Central Asian Bureau for Analytical Reporting, a look at theTurkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan (TAT) railway project: The fate of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan (TAT) railway is still unclear, although in terms of importance this project can compete with China’s Belt and Road Initiative.   For Tajikistan, the main goal of the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan (TAT) railway is an alternative […]

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Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste: Australia’s Struggling Neighbours

Via Future Directions International, a report on Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste: With the COVID-19 pandemic causing havoc in economies across the globe, smaller countries that were already struggling before the crisis now face looming obstacles. While both Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste have been relatively untouched by the pandemic itself, the virus has had […]

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Whose Belt and Road Is It Anyway?

Via Eurasianet, a look at a loss-making Tajik company behind a mysterious Belt and Road investment: Darvoz, in Tajikistan, is a province of dusky canyons and snowy peaks, villages perched across the river from Afghanistan. Terraces turn brilliant shades of green in summer with water channeled from above. Far from Dushanbe in hours and attitudes, Darvoz […]

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ABOUT
WILDCATS AND BLACK SHEEP
Wildcats & Black Sheep is a personal interest blog dedicated to the identification and evaluation of maverick investment opportunities arising in frontier - and, what some may consider to be, “rogue” or “black sheep” - markets around the world.

Focusing primarily on The New Seven Sisters - the largely state owned petroleum companies from the emerging world that have become key players in the oil & gas industry as identified by Carola Hoyos, Chief Energy Correspondent for The Financial Times - but spanning other nascent opportunities around the globe that may hold potential in the years ahead, Wildcats & Black Sheep is a place for the adventurous to contemplate & evaluate the emerging markets of tomorrow.