Africa Notes: U.S. Oil Stakes in West Africa - December 2002

On October 28 the Center for Strategic and International Studies hosted a roundtable discussion on U.S. oil stakes in West Africa that included presentations by Roger Diwan and J. Robinson West of PFC Energy; Mark Bellamy, deputy assistant secretary, Africa Bureau, U.S. Department of State; and Robert Ebel, director, CSIS Energy Program. The discussion took place in the context of a sharp rise in media attention to Africa’s strategic importance with regards to oil and at a time that U.S. foreign policy makers are seeking to increase investments in security in Africa. The event brought together a diverse group of experts representing the Bush administration, the oil industry, financial institutions, and independent energy and foreign policy experts to discuss the existing and future oil capacity of the Gulf of Guinea region, evolving U.S. energy stakes in the region, and how these might change should the United States go to war with Iraq. The following is the rapporteur’s synopsis of the meeting.