The Battle for Berbera: Inside the Global Scramble for Somaliland’s Strategic Red Sea Port
April 8th, 2025
Via The Africa Report, a look at the global scramble for Somaliland’s strategic Red Sea port: Once a quiet outpost on the Gulf of Aden, Berbera in Somaliland is now at the heart of a high-stakes geopolitical tug-of-war, as regional and global powers jostle for position along one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints. […]
Read more »How Chinese Investments Are Reshaping Africa’s Steel Industry
April 7th, 2025
Via The Diplomat, a report on how – for China – investing in Africa’s steel industry is a strategic move to relocate surplus production capacity and address slowing domestic demand: Africa’s steel industry is undergoing a significant transformation, fueled by growing demand and increased foreign investment, particularly from China. In 2024, the continent’s steel market […]
Read more »India, UAE to Develop Sri Lanka Energy Hub as Delhi Competes with China for Influence
April 7th, 2025
Via Reuters, a look at Indian and UAE efforts to develop Sri Lanka energy hub as Delhi competes with China for influence: India and the United Arab Emirates agreed to develop an energy hub in Sri Lanka, India’s foreign ministry said on Saturday, as New Delhi’s competition with China grows in the Indian Ocean island nation. […]
Read more »US Closes In On Critical Minerals Deal With DR Congo
April 7th, 2025
Courtesy of The Financial Times, a report on U.S. efforts to close in on a critical minerals deal with DR Congo: The US is closing on a deal with the Democratic Republic of Congo that would see American companies take more control of critical mineral assets in return for greater backing for the embattled Kinshasa […]
Read more »Angola Rail Line Offers Clues to Trump’s Africa Policy
April 5th, 2025
Via New York Times, an article on the $4 billion Lobito Corridor project which was the Biden administration’s signature initiative in Africa. Early signs are that the Trump team supports it, too, for mineral access if nothing else. An 800-mile rail corridor stretching from Angola’s northern border to the Atlantic Ocean was former President Joseph […]
Read more »China Is Reshaping Global Development. Is That Good for the Planet?
April 5th, 2025
Via Inside Climate News, at look at how China is deploying low-carbon investments through its $1.3 trillion Belt and Road Initiative. But many of these projects come with risks of their own. Case in point: Two hydroelectric dams in Argentina could flood cultural heritage sites and harm one of the world’s largest glacial icefields. Deep […]
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.