Archive for April, 2025

Aramco and Alpha MBM Push UAE Oil Power in Uganda and Kenya

Via The Africa Report, an article on UAE’s growing oil influence in East Africa: Refiners, strategic oil stores… While traditional partners hesitate, Emirati firms are fast-tracking energy investment across East Africa. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is strengthening foreign policy to build influence in East Africa and countries along the Red Sea as it secures […]

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Starlink Coming to Somalia, But Regional Tensions Lurk

Via The Africa Report, commentary on Starlink’s entry in to the Somali market: The Somali government’s recent approval of a licence for US-based Starlink to operate in Somalia represents a milestone, as one of the few foreign companies set to begin operations in the country, but what does this mean for current geopolitical tensions? Elon […]

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Trump’s Tariffs Risk Pushing Cambodia Further into China’s Embrace

Via Bloomberg, a report on a  massive canal highlights Beijing’s deep investment in Cambodia just as the US is pulling back, leaving the Southeast Asian nation with less room to balance ties: Along the Mekong River just outside Phnom Penh, Men Moeun and his neighbors live on land set aside for a massive China-backed infrastructure […]

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Rare Earths And Global Rivalries: Burundi And The Reconfiguration Of Strategic Supply Chains

Via Eurasia Review, an article on Burundi’s role in the global rare earth race: On March 4, 2025, US President Donald Trump argued before Congress in favor of reducing the budget for USAID, the agency responsible for international development assistance. Illustrating his point, Trump singled out Lesotho, criticizing an $8 million allocation to a nation […]

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Erik Prince Returns To DRC Amid U.S. Mineral Security Push

Via The Africa Report, a report on Erik Prince’s planned return to the DRC: The controversial founder of Blackwater, Erik Prince, has struck a fresh deal with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to help the country secure and monetise its vast mineral reserves. Here’s a timeline of his actions in the […]

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Saudi Arabia Plans To Pay Off Syria’s World Bank Debts

Via Reuters, a report that Saudi Arabia plans to pay off Syria’s World Bank debts: Saudi Arabia’s payment may unlock grants for Syria’s reconstruction Gulf Arab support for Syria may be materializing US sanctions complicate Syria’s financial recovery efforts Saudi Arabia plans to pay off Syria’s debts to the World Bank, three people familiar with […]

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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.