Can Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso Maintain Growth Outside ECOWAS?
February 13th, 2024
Courtesy of The Africa Report, a look at whether Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso can maintain growth outside ECOWAS: The three countries shaken by coups have economies with growth prospects above the regional average as they close the door on the regional bloc. On 28 January, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger jointly announced their withdrawal […]
Read more »Russia Steps Up Competition in Africa
January 11th, 2024
Via Foreign Policy Research Institute, a look at Russia’s efforts to step up its presence, and competitive position (both economically and militarily), in Africa: BOTTOM LINE The Kremlin is taking up the mantle of Wagner Group after Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death, and is now moving to compete directly with the West in Africa, particularly in the […]
Read more »Scramble for the Sahel – Why France, Russia, China and the U.S. Are Interested in the Region
January 9th, 2024
Via The Conversation, a look at geopolitical and investment interest in the Sahel: The Sahel, a region 3,860km wide located south of the Sahara Desert and stretching east-west across the African continent, has been a focus of attention around the world recently. In the last decade, issues such as terrorism, insecurity and trafficking have characterised the region. Military takeovers have been a […]
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 »Mali Signs Agreement With Russia To Build Gold Refinery
November 23rd, 2023
Via Reuters, a report on a new Russian agreement to invest in Mali: Mali’s military government said it has signed an agreement with Russia to build a gold refinery in the capital Bamako, one of a slew of deals between the two countries as Russia seeks to extend its regional influence. The accord, a non-binding […]
Read more »The Elusive Figure Running Wagner’s Embattled Empire of Gold and Diamonds
September 24th, 2023
Courtesy of The Wall Street Journal, an article on Dmitry Sytii the elusive figure working to preserve the Wagner’s multibillion-dollar African operations: T-shirts have appeared on the streets of the Central African Republic’s capital recently picturing a bearded man with flowing hair and an almost saintly look. The image, reminiscent of a revolutionary Che Guevara, […]
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.