Page 13 - AfrOil Week 10 2022

AfrOil POLICY AfrOil

“The Ministry of Commerce and the LPRC LRD620 ($4.02) per gallon to LRD1,000-1,200
will remain engaged with the importers to ($6.48-7.78).
derive a mutually acceptable price structure for The price hike has already disrupted the
the petroleum products in light of the global Liberian economy, as it has led many commer-
increase in the prices of petroleum products.” cial transportation operators, such as motor-
The government published its statement cycle and automobile taxi drivers, to raise their
amidst widespread discontent over last week’s fares.
surprise increase in fuel prices. According to In turn, many passengers have opted to walk
FrontPageAfrica, within the past few days, rather than pay nearly twice as much as usual
Liberians have seen petrol prices jump from for rides. ™

South African energy minister argues

in favour of developing oil and gas

SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH Africa’s Mineral Resources and Energy we must go and sleep,” he remarked. “And that
Minister Gwede Mantashe came out strongly in should be confronted with everything we have.”
favour of exploiting the country’s offshore oil Mantashe also criticised the environmental
and gas resources, saying in a video released groups that have been campaigning against oil
by his ministry on Monday (March 7) that he and gas exploration in South Africa’s offshore
wanted companies to proceed from exploration zone, saying that the government was trying
to development. to balance competing priorities. The country’s
“Exploration and development cannot be the authorities are trying to preserve the environ-
end,” Mantashe stated in the video. “We must ment, but they also want to see the economy
pursue it until it happens.” grow and create new jobs, especially for resi-
The minister went on to say that he has been dents of the areas closest to the oil and gas fields,
consulting with certain shareholders – namely, he explained.
leaders of traditional communities in Eastern This is not the first time the minister has spo-
Cape, as well as residents of the province – to ken harshly against environmental groups. In
discuss the development of oil, gas and other early March, he complained that activists from
subsurface resources. He also argued that such organisations had “harassed” Shell (UK)
opposition to resource extraction projects was into giving up its plans for conducting a seismic
counterproductive because it would impede survey in a section of the offshore zone near the
economic development, according to a separate Wild Coast. South Africa has no business leav-
report by TDPel Media. ing its resources underground for the sake of the
“Anybody who is pushing back against explo- environment just so that it can remain an “island
ration, I rate that person as anti-development of angels in a sea of poverty,” he argued, accord-
because it says we must not do anything [and] ing to a report from the Mail & Guardian. ™

Mantashe has criticised opponents of oil and gas development (Photo: Twitter/@GwedeMantashe1)

Week 10 09•March•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P13