Houthis Tighten Grip on Bab el-Mandeb – and African Ports May Lose Out
September 28th, 2026
Via The Africa Report, a look at how soaring fuel costs are tempting carriers back to Bab el-Mandeb, threatening West Africa’s mega-ship boom. Only a handful of deepwater hubs, and Djibouti, look set to gain. Iran’s Houthi allies have tightened their grip on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, opening a second front against global shipping just […]
Read more »How China Took Control of Africa’s Lithium
September 25th, 2026
Via The Africa Report, a look at how – from Zimbabwe to Mali and Ghana – Chinese companies have come to dominate Africa’s emerging lithium industry, bringing an ability to buy, build and process when western rivals hesitate. The latest piece of Africa’s lithium industry to fall into Chinese hands is in Ghana. On 17 […]
Read more »Egypt’s Next Economy Lies Beyond the Suez Canal
September 24th, 2026
Via AllAfrica, a look at how – for centuries – Egypt’s power has flowed from the Nile and its position between continents. In the twenty-first century, the question is whether geography can become industry—and strategic relevance become broadly shared prosperity. Few countries possess geography as economically consequential as Egypt’s. More than 110 million people live […]
Read more »Why Is the US Eyeing Gwadar Port?
September 24th, 2026
Via The Diplomat, a look at how Washington may translate its interest in Gwadar and the region around it into a policy to establish its presence there? In May, Gwadar Port handled a 53,277-ton steel billet shipment aboard a Chinese vessel whose original destination was Sohar Port in Oman. The ship was diverted to Gwadar […]
Read more »Where Should the Next Cities Be?
September 23rd, 2026
Via Alpha Geo, a look at where the next cities will be: The new city mirage The next cities will not be founded – they will be extended. Almost all urban growth between now and 2050 will take place on the edges of cities that already exist. Saudi Arabia announced The Line in 2021 as […]
Read more »How Guyana Is Feeding the Profits of the Largest U.S. Oil Company
September 23rd, 2026
Via the New York Times, a look at how Exxon Mobil found a coveted growth engine in Guyana. Now it must navigate Guyana’s fractious politics and a territorial dispute with Venezuela. An hour by helicopter from Guyana’s capital, Exxon Mobil’s deepwater production hub in the churning Atlantic Ocean reflects the scale of the company’s wager […]
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.