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02.02.2013 Feature Article

THE POLITICS OF BLACK GOLD IN AFRICA AND THE DEVELOPMENT IN CRISES

THE POLITICS OF BLACK GOLD IN AFRICA AND THE DEVELOPMENT IN CRISES
02.02.2013 LISTEN

As oil can easily catch fire and destroy a home, so can it easily destroy a nation but as the same oil can easily help spark a machine and vehicle, then it can also rapidly develop a country - Samson Agbelengor

INTRODUCTION
The world we live in today has experienced several dynamic evolutions and revolutions in the social, economic, political, and cultural─ even the technological sectors. Everyday new things are coming up from the dimension of the unseen to the domain of the seen and tangible─ a change from renaissance to enlightenment, from the reformation to the industrial revolution, modern technology to modern high technology, horse and buggy to automobile to airplanes to the astronaut age. The world has evolved from monarchy to feudalism to capitalism, to socialism, to communism, to liberal democracy and social democracy among others. Since the world has experienced a great change from the time the first man stepped foot on this earth, we expect the various continents to be affected by the same change─ even in Africa.

Certainly, the world is fast changing and new civilizations are gradually erasing old and ancient ones. There use to be slave trade, imperialist days and colonialism etc. but today they have evolved into something else such as human trafficking and economic colonialism. What we are experiencing today is the age of practical science─ the era of the unmanned and pilotless drone planes, space stations, nuclear power and weapons, robots inventions, mobile technology, solar and renewable energy, high speed trains etc. We have had the days when colonial masters struggled through conquest and expansionist policies over minerals in oversees continents particularly Africa─ the struggle for gold, diamond, copper, bauxite, manganese, coltan, salt etc. Although these minerals are still precious today, a new mineral is reigning in the world─ in the Middle East, in Asia, in USA, in Europe, in Australia among the great, the feeble and the strong─ and this mineral is oil (alias black gold)

Because of this mineral called oil, the world has to struggle to end conflicts in several regions. Oil makes leaders crazy, oil makes terrorist more rebellious, oil creates inhumanity among rebels, and oil has made powerful states of the world to struggle in cold wars for decades. Black gold politics has affected several world crises such as the Angolan civil war, the Cold War between USA and the Soviet Union and its ramifications, Gaddafi's forty two years reign in Libya and the Ayatollah's revolution in Iran and the infamous Iran- Iraq war etc.

Oil has led to many civil wars in the world, military invasions, and unconstitutional overthrow of governments, dictatorship and the share desire to promote political instability by disgruntled groups. The late Saddam Hussein was so mesmerized and politically intoxicated about oil to the extent that he taught it legal and proper to invade his neighboring country Kuwait in the 1980's. Because of the importance of oil, western powers led by the USA had to use their military might to kick Saddam's military out of Kuwait. The Islamic Republic of Iran today cares less about European sanctions because there is oil to fuel its economy and nuclear programme as well as trade in many other world markets. Because of oil, countries are strategically making alliances in the bid to ensure an effective balance of power in the international system. This black gold is a powerful mineral in the world of today but it has also made and unmade us─ even in Africa

THE POLITICS OF BLACK GOLD IN AFRICA
The politics of black gold has taken centre stage in the entire African continent especially countries that has extracted it in commercial quantities. Universities are now developing several courses and curriculum on black gold and students are also striving to acquire knowledge on black gold. Oil is very strategic and important in Africa and its politics must be played with great care because since it is highly inflammable in the physical sense, then the flames are capable of destroying an economic, political or social establishment.

The land of Africa is the richest in the world but the people living on the land are the poorest in all continents of the globe. Whiles the land is rich below, the people are poor above. The riches of gold, bauxite, and diamond have not fully transform the African continent as expected. Since the days of colonialism when natural minerals became a big exploitative business in Africa; today we can confidently say that most of the proceeds of these natural minerals are still dominated by unseen neo-colonialist hands. For the past five decades, African leaders were anticipating that these natural minerals from its rich underground extractions will fully improve the lives of the people but it is sad that many of the mining companies are dominated by expatriate powers who dominate with their expertise even in the mineral markets.

Now that oil is reigning in the world as the topmost mineral for effective development; what are we to do? The politics of black gold in the world is big business but its ramification produces both development and destruction. Whiles some countries in the Middle East such as Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are playing their oil politics so well in real economic development, others are also lacking behind with the same rich minerals.

Today Sudan has been divided into North and South with great bitterness against each other and the politics of black gold is a powerful cause. A long period of civil war, genocide and inhuman strikes almost turned the country into a failed state although black gold lay within its great fountains. Southern Sudanese had to pass through real terror and excruciating pain to gain its independence in a referendum from the north. The unstable politics of that region is not ending because the paradox is that the feeble South holds the oil wells whiles the powerful north holds the pipelines. Everyone should have taught that because Sudan has oil then the country must develop rapidly but on the contrary, it has rather developed in crises because of greedy war over oil among several inhumane and rebellious groups.

Nigeria is also another classical example of an African country with rich oil minerals in the Niger Delta regions. But today the country has been reduced to religious conflicts, terrorist attacks and radical agitations among several groups over the unfair distribution of oil proceeds in the country. It took several military interventions and negotiations to prevent the county from breaking apart when oil was discovered. Oil in Nigeria today is promoting development but development in crises. The rich are getting richer whiles the poor are getting poorer. This is what Karl Marx warned as the evils of capitalism and class conflicts in the society among the ruling aristocrats, the bourgeoisies who own the businesses and the working proletariats who are exploited.

Today, Ghana is also an oil producing country but what does the politics of black gold has for us. Is it development or development in crises? Oil in commercial quantity in Ghana is the talk of the day among many Ghanaians─ it has led to several investments in the oil sector as well as the springing up of several local and international oil companies in the country. Crude oil that is extracted from petroleum is very strategic; for it is the very resource that fuels all our businesses and activities to work well. Oil is desirable everywhere in the country─ in transportation, plant and machinery, industry, domestic duties, military equipments, service sectors etc. But the crises that follows the politics of black gold is what leaders must be cautious about in order not to fall in the same temptation of development in crises.

What do we mean by development in crises? As a political analyst, I define the term as a condition of economic development in a country that is characterized by problems of political instability, natural disasters and war and for that reason a country's development becomes stunted and may not be fully realized. For instance, Sudan, Nigeria, Iraq or Pakistan should have been developed countries by now with oil running if we consider utopian standards but on the contrary, because of crises such as terrorism, civil war and rebellion that followed this process of development; economic expansion still lacks behind.

The African continent is now being dominated by several foreign companies from Asia and the West. These foreign oil companies although have the technology to transform the oil sectors, Africa must rise up to seek its national interest as black gold politics is growing day by day. China for example is becoming a modern economic colonial master in Africa considering its heavy investments in oil production and loan disbursements─ but African leaders must be watchful about their country's interest in all of these baits. When African governments are able to fight hard to take greater share in the proceeds of the oil resources for investment in roads, transport, education agriculture and other initiatives then their citizens will not feel cheated to take up arms. Oil resources in Africa must benefit Africans first before any other alien group.

Africa has lost control of its gold, diamond, bauxite and other natural resources; we cannot afford to loose the great resource expansion that black gold has for the continent. As ministers of state sit in meetings with foreign development partners, sipping coffee and having discussions, signing oil contracts and other businesses, Pan-africanism must be the idea that influences their mind and decisions. African oil companies must be given more opportunity to dominate the industry of oil production because as Sir Gordon Guggisberg of formal Gold Coast once said, “a country cannot develop under an alien government”.

The politics of black gold in Africa must move away from development in crisis into development in peace and stability. Black gold politics should be encouraged by African governments to expand greatly and provide employment opportunities to graduates and citizens of each country because economic development that is felt in the lives of the majority is a powerful antidote against any thought of terrorism, tyranny and rebelliousness.

As oil can easily catch fire and destroy a home, so can it easily destroy a nation but as the same oil can easily help spark a machine and vehicle, then it can also rapidly develop a country. This is perhaps the final resource we have in our hands as Africans. Play the black gold politics well with all the prudence and you will succeed like the rest did in their own test.

By
Samson C. Agbelengor
Government Tutor,
Dega Senior High School
New Longoro,
Kintampo North District
Email: [email protected]

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