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Countering the impact of oil in the Gulf of Guinea The links between the extraction of natural resources such as oil, gas, and diamonds and conflict have been harshly demonstrated over the past few decades, particularly in Africa. The Niger Delta, Sudan and Angola have bitter experience of the negative impacts of oil production and these problems are beginning to be shared by emerging oil producers such as Sao Tome and Principe. Rather than stimulating broad-based economic development, oil has hindered it by creating a false sense of security; rather than promoting wealth and democracy, oil profits have brought wealth and power to the hands of a few; rather than contributing to social development, oil has exacerbated inequality by fostering corruption. Nigeria, for example, is poorer now than it was when oil production began, despite the fact that oil revenues over the past 25 years constitute a figure six times bigger than the global aid budget during the same period. The Gulf of Guinea is attracting ever-increasing attention as an oil producer and if the countries within it (especially Sao Tome and Principe) are to be spared the same fate as these other oil producing countries, they need to develop a different kind of oil industry that can positively assist development. Alert has therefore just started a project to develop a good practice template for countering the conflict impact of oil in the region. It is mainly focused on regional research combined with practical institution and capacity building in Sao Tome and Principe, where oil production remains a few years away and where there is still time to minimise the risk of conflict. This aims to build the capacity of civil society in oil producing countries to promote and scrutinise the implementation of good practice by those involved in oil extraction at national, regional and international levels.
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