Benjamin AUGE
Associate Research Fellow, Africa Studies Center / Center for Energy and Climate
Research Interests:
- Oil, gas, governance
- Hydrocarbon exploitation in transboundary and disputed areas
- African diplomacies and relations between Africa and the Arab world
- Algeria, Nigeria, Mauritania, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Mozambique
Benjamin Augé is an Associate Research Fellow at Ifri since June 2010. He is a PhD graduate in geography from the French Institute of Geopolitics (University of Paris 8). He is otherwise Chief Editor of Africa Energy Intelligence, a newsletter focused on oil & gas issues in Africa. He teaches oil and gas geopolitics at the University of Nouakchott in Mauritania and at the Instituto Nacional de Relacoes Internationais (ISRI) in Mozambique. He is also a guest speaker at the diplomatic academy of Netherlands (Clingendael).
His research focuses on the political management of the hydrocarbons in African states. Benjamin Augé covers conflicts between different stakeholders (local, national, and international) for the control of oil zones, as well as in the border disputes linked to shared oil and gas basins. Benjamin Augé also works on the relations between the African continent and external partners (Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Cuba and Israel).
Until recently, Saudi Arabia was the country out of the Gulf countries that had the greatest number of diplomatic missions in Africa (27[1]).
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East Africa has the potential to experience a gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) export boom in the coming years due to several projects that have been released.
In 2017, the coming to power of João Lourenço put an end to nearly four decades of rule by the former head of state, José Eduardo Dos Santos.
On June 5th 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain broke off diplomatic relations with Qatar and agreed to isolate the Emirate via an air and land blockade.
Recent offshore gas discoveries in the Eastern Mediterranean, primarily in Egypt as well as in Israel, but also around Cyprus, are dramatically changing these countries' energy perspectives and economies, and also influence geopolitical balances in the region.
The July 2016 failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government not only resulted in a dramatic upheaval in Turkey, it also had a significant impact on the structure of its international relations and its networks of influence abroad.
The fall in oil prices, which began in fall 2014, had a significant influence on the strategies of the key players in the oil industry in Africa.
The study and comparison of different National Oil Companies (NOC) help understanding the political history of Algeria, Nigeria and Angola. The NOC’s role and activities depend on several economic and political aspects. For example, Angolan Sonangol has been the coffer for the Popular Movement...
In the space of 20 years, under the leadership of the former Emir, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, in power between 1995 and 2013, Qatar became a country which matters due to its status, obtained in 2006, as the leading world producer of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The recent discovery of the giant Zohr's gas field will drastically change the energy future of Egypt, which is today increasingly dependent on imports to meet its growing domestic demand.
Angola is expected to formally announce the end of President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos' controversial 37-year rule Saturday, and name a successor to lead the ailing African oil-producing country.
Aljazeera Center for Studies, March 2015
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