Why the Middle Corridor Is a Double-Edged Sword
December 19th, 2023
Via The Diplomat, a report that Europe is pushing hard to advance the Middle Corridor, but other countries like China, Russia, Iran, and Azerbaijan will almost certainly benefit from the infrastructure being built: In late November, the World Bank published an economic analysis on the potential of the Middle Corridor to develop over the next decade. The […]
Read more »Crumbling South African Rail Prompts Botswana to Forge New Route
December 19th, 2023
Via Bloomberg, a look at a proposed new rail route from Botswana through Namibia: South African logistics firm is struggling to transport goods Botswana gets unsolicited bids to forge rail through Namibia Botswana has received unsolicited bids from investors to build a rail line to a Namibian port that will help avoid South Africa and […]
Read more »How Gold From The Sahel Finances Africa’s Armed Groups
December 18th, 2023
Courtesy of The Africa Report, a detailed look at how gold from the Sahel finances Africa’s armed groups: The map of small-scale mines from which gold is extracted in the Sahel region notably overlaps with that of areas of activity of various armed groups, putting this precious mineral at the heart of an intense territorial […]
Read more »Laos’ Economic Woes Will Continue In 2024
December 18th, 2023
Via The Diplomat, a report on Laos’ economic woes: Most mornings your columnist must scroll through feeds of the latest Southeast Asian news headlines. The feed on Laos is, to put it mildly, beginning to get tiresome. For how many months can you read the same headline, “Lao PM Introduces New Measures to Tackle Inflation” […]
Read more »East Timor Gas Project Open to Chinese Firms, PM Gusmao Says
December 18th, 2023
Via Nikkei Asia, an article on Timor Leste’s Greater Sunrise offshore natural gas project: East Timor will choose partners for the Greater Sunrise offshore natural gas project that bring benefits to the Southeast Asian island nation, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao told Nikkei, signaling that it will not rule out participation by Chinese companies. “When we […]
Read more »How Coal Giant Colombia Is Trying to Wean Its Economy Off Fossil Fuels
December 17th, 2023
Via Bloomberg, a report on how Colombia is trying to wean its economy off fossil fuels: Colombia has become the first major coal producer to join a group of nations calling for the end of fossil fuels, in a bid to escape the economic trap it could face as the world ditches the dirtiest forms of […]
Read more »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.