West African Oil: Will It Make a Difference?

This thesis analyzes the commercial development of West Africa's petroleum resources and examines the implications of sudden 'oil wealth' for the region's political and economic development. Section one outlines the evolution of the petroleum industry and surveys the hydrocarbon potential of twenty nations along the coast from Senegal to Angola, and inland from Mali to the Central African Republic. An evaluation of the physical and political constraints on the development of the region's petroleum resources and an aggregate analysis of the area's potential for new oil reserves and production capacity are also presented. Finally, by drawing from the experiences of established oil producers line Nigeria, the economic and political implications of the widespread development of petroleum resources in West Africa are projected at the domestic and regional levels. Specifically, will newfound oil wealth help resolve existing problems, or will it magnify them? The study concludes that for most of these countries, oil wealth will be a mixed blessing. (Author)