In this day and age of climate change, the discovery of oil and its mining ceases just to be a sigh of good news to the discovering nation but rather an issue of consideration of various ethical standpoints that have to be balanced with the desire for economic growth that is poised to be generated out of the drilling and processing of the oil.
In Africa the issue has always been one of whether with each new discovery there opens a new script of the resource curse that would plague the people of the continent into more poverty and conflict than there existed prior to the discovery.
Oil in Africa is viewed as the elixir that could well cure the economic woes of many a country and so the idea that it would be plausible to take the idea of placing a ban on offshore drilling to the African elite is to indulge in an exercise in futility as these governments predicate much of their existence in their ability to generate revenue and oil drilling is one very large opportunity.
It cannot be lost to me that the recent issue of the Horizon Deep water spill cast a taste of anti offshore drilling sentiment all across the globe. These sentiments are valid as when considered in light of the heavy environmental impact that such a spill would have especially in any of the African shorelines considering the low level of technological advancement. Thus there is need to be alarmed and caution plausibly raised against any form of offshore drilling. Matter of fact, as intimated earlier, in this age of climate change, what a farce would it be that the continent that keeps demanding to be compensated for effects of climate change indulged in the risky front of offshore drilling for purposes of export of the pollutant petroleum thereby exacerbating their own dilemma.
So what then becomes the viable option? For me a viable option is a realistic option that recognises that societies are driven by commerce and not moralistic ideals. That global politics have a huge bearing on the decisions adoptable by our African leaders and that sometimes the survival of most regimes is predicated on their ability to tow the line with the big boys. Thus it would in any realistic sense be a good bet if the African states did carry out the exploration studies and make adequate plans of engaging in off shore drilling.
But the fact that exploration and drilling is suggested does not mean to imply a throwing out of all forms of responsibility. Thus in my opinion the future lies in moderating these explorative quests with government and international scrutiny that seeks to dilute corporate greed and work towards maximum benefits of the resource to the particular nation and continent at large.
My contention is that if offshore drilling by African governments is advanced alongside transparent government to government advisory especially from nations who have not only experience but also the moral tenacity to work towards a positive development trajectory for the continent then there could be the writing of a whole new story where resources are concerned in Africa.
The quest is also up to the African nations to make a critical choice only to enter into agreements that show a clear outright commitment to not only utilize the technology with the ability to highly limit the emmitive capacity of the oil so drilled but also to be able to well invest in the country's economy through active social programmes that are well past the PR Social Responsibility cloak.
Having said that, I will not by any means betray my conservative roots. The fact of the matter is that citizen action is necessary to keep vigil on all the agreements that Governments enter into in the guise of resource development for Africa. These agreements have in the past proved to be phoney and riddled with corruption. Thus the civil society has got to be awake and stand guard. There is need for the opening of more resource dialogue spaces where there is created a collective bargaining agenda between a nations government, private sector and civil society. Finally, what the world needs is less exploration for oil fields but more investment and innovation in renewable energy. There must be a reinforced global commitment to completely phase out fossil based fuels and replace it with commercially viable renewable energy sufficient to run our world and keep the planet safe for our future
