Description
Gas Flaring, Environmental Degradation and Community Agitation in West Africa
Vandy Kanyako (Assistant Professor in Conflict Resolution Program, Portland State University, USA)
West Africa is in the midst of a gas boom. Offshore and onshore exploration and production are thriving with no fewer than 500 oil and gas companies from all over the world vigorously participating in the region’s upstream and downstream activities.
For a region saturated with weak states, fledging civic institutions and a history of protracted resource-based conflicts, the rapid and unchecked expansion of hydrocarbon-capitalism into its sizzling political economy is a cause for concern and a recipe for instability if not managed properly.
Utilising data from fieldwork in West Africa, the study identifies the varied ways in which gas flaring impacts the host communities and the environment. The paper posits that the failure of the region’s gas industry to translate profits into human centred development that addresses the socio-economic aspirations of the host communities has major implications for the region’s peace and stability.
