Africa: The boom that only oils the wheels of corruption

Since the mid-1990s, several countries in sub-Saharan Africa – others are Nigeria, Angola and Gabon – have experienced strong revenue growth from the petroleum industry. In most cases, however, this new wealth is not contributing to economic development or improving living standards. Rather, it has been used almost exclusively for the enrichment of the countries' leaders, and as a consequence most of the population remains poor and unprotected.