Harnessing Eastern Africa’s Emerging Oil and Gas Economy for Regional Security, Industrial Transformation, and Sustainable Prosperity

Abstract

Eastern Africa's emerging oil and gas economy presents a historic opportunity to convert finite petroleum resources into long-term prosperity, regional stability, and industrial transformation. This series examines five interconnected strategic priorities for achieving this ambition: leveraging Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) to drive sustainable development; utilizing SWFs to promote social cohesion and prevent resource-based conflicts; disrupting illicit networks that threaten petroleum governance and investor confidence; strengthening resilient oil supply chains and downstream infrastructure to enhance regional energy security; and reinforcing policy, legal, and institutional frameworks to build a competitive regional petroleum economy. Drawing on lessons from Norway, the United Arab Emirates, Botswana, and Ghana, the series advocates transparent governance, productive investment, technological innovation, regional cooperation, and responsible resource management. The brief concludes that Eastern Africa's long-term petroleum success will depend not on the scale of its oil and gas discoveries, but on the strength of institutions that transform oil and gas wealth into sustainable development, economic resilience, and regional competitiveness.