Big Barrels

Book excerpt: Big Barrels takes aim at the perception that in Africa oil and gas can do no good. For decades, resource wealth in Sub-Saharan Africa has been synonymous with corruption and dysfunction. The reality is far more complex and generally more encouraging. In a series of eight case studies Big Barrels looks at what African nations are doing right. Employment and enterprise in Nigeria, good governance in Ghana, economic development in Tanzania, environmental stewardship in Gabon, and more - these are all elements of success in African nations' petroleum industries today. The positive trends in Africa's energy business, as well as its challenges, are presented here. Big Barrels lays out the facts on how oil and gas can be a force for good on the Mother Continent.