Publication:
Africa Gas Initiative : Volume 4. Congo

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Files in English
English PDF (3.72 MB)
316 downloads
English Text (203.84 KB)
351 downloads
Published
2001-02
ISSN
Date
2014-09-30
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
The Africa Gas Initiative (AGI) has been established by the Oil and Gas Division of the World Bank, to promote the utilization of natural gas in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study focuses on coastal countries - Angola, Cameroon, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, and Gabon - along the West African coastline, and the Gulf of Guinea, where most of the region's gas reserves are located, and where significant proportions of the gas produced, is being wasted through flaring, or venting. Thus, the study's goal is to end gas flaring, by developing indigenous natural gas resources for local markets, and export, achieving economic benefits from gas substitution - through reduced imports, or increased exports of oil products - and, by improving environmental conditions at the local, and global levels. Under the AGI, technical assistance with regard to institutional, and regulatory framework was conducted in Cameroon, and Cote d'Ivoire, and, additionally, analysis of current petroleum fiscal legislation was undertaken, to review the profitability of gas field development from the investors' point of view. This analysis enabled recommendations to respective governments, to introduce required changes in their petroleum laws. Recommendations further include incentives to develop activities, particularly through rational price structures, removal of subsidies as the landed cost of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is progressively reduced, and fair competitive procedures, govern market accessibility.
Link to Data Set
Citation
World Bank. 2001. Africa Gas Initiative : Volume 4. Congo. Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP);no. ESM 240 / 01. © http://hdl.handle.net/10986/20306 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
Digital Object Identifier
Associated URLs
Associated content
Report Series
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Publication
    Harnessing African Natural Gas : A New Opportunity for Africa's Energy Agenda?
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2014-10) Santley, David; Schlotterer, Robert; Eberhard, Anton
    Sub-Saharan Africa's persistent power shortages act as a severe constraint on its economic and human development. Over the last several years, a series of major offshore gas discoveries in Mozambique and Tanzania have rekindled interest in expanding the use of natural gas to address the continent's power shortages. Once thought of as a Nigeria-only story, gas-to power in Sub-Saharan Africa is now being considered in a continent-wide context, both as a supplement to Africa's abundant hydropower resources and as a replacement for more carbon intensive coal and liquid fuels. But the concentration of gas resources in just a few countries and the virtual absence of gas transportation infrastructure create economic challenges to the wider adoption of gas as a power generation fuel, particularly in smaller countries that cannot achieve economies of scale in gas production and transportation. As a result, the timeline between the discovery of gas and its commercialization is often measured in decades. This study examines the economic conditions facing policy makers, planners, and commercial actors with a stake in gas-to-power development in Sub-Saharan Africa. It looks at the upstream, midstream, and downstream segments of the gas value chain to identify where the economics align in favor of gas-to-power development and where they do not.
  • Publication
    Africa Gas Initiative : Volume 2. Angola
    (Washington, DC, 2001-02) World Bank
    The Africa Gas Initiative (AGI) has been established by the Oil and Gas Division of the World Bank, to promote the utilization of natural gas in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study focuses on coastal countries - Angola, Cameroon, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, and Gabon - along the West African coastline, and the Gulf of Guinea, where most of the region's gas reserves are located, and where significant proportions of the gas produced, is being wasted through flaring, or venting. Thus, the study's goal is to end gas flaring, by developing indigenous natural gas resources for local markets, and export, achieving economic benefits from gas substitution - through reduced imports, or increased exports of oil products - and, by improving environmental conditions at the local, and global levels. Under the AGI, technical assistance with regard to institutional, and regulatory framework was conducted in Cameroon, and Cote d'Ivoire, and, additionally, analysis of current petroleum fiscal legislation was undertaken, to review the profitability of gas field development from the investors' point of view. This analysis enabled recommendations to respective governments, to introduce required changes in their petroleum laws. Recommendations further include incentives to develop activities, particularly through rational price structures, removal of subsidies as the landed cost of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is progressively reduced, and fair competitive procedures, govern market accessibility.
  • Publication
    Latin America and the Caribbean Region Energy Sector : Retrospective Review and Challenges
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2009-06) Byer, Trevor; Crousillat, Enrique; Dussan, Manuel
    During the 90s, most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean Region (LCR) supported by the World Bank, implemented a market-oriented reform in the energy sector to promote competition, economic regulation and greater private sector participation, as the main instruments to improve the quality, reliability and efficiency of energy services, and improve the government's fiscal position and increase affordable access to modern energy services for the poor. This report comprises an assessment of the energy sector reform in the region: its achievements, difficulties, lessons learnt and current status; an assessment of the future needs of the energy sector investment and financing requirements, constraints, and challenges; and a review of the role of development agencies in supporting the region's energy needs. The study is not a systematic analysis of the reform experience and needs of individual countries, which is not deemed necessary to define an energy strategy for the region, but rather an analysis of the main themes that are common to most countries, with reference to specific cases of individual countries, based on a review of the documentation available on the reform, and on current energy plans. The power sector reform in the region had a substantial positive fiscal impact. During the past 15 years, private investment in electricity in LCR amounted to about US$103 bn, about 60 percent in divestiture of public assets, and 40 percent in green-field projects. Investments in divestiture peaked at about US$21 bn at the time of the privatization of major distribution assets in Brazil, and almost vanished by 2002. Investments in green-field projects have been more stable during the past 10 years.
  • Publication
    Uzbekistan : Energy/Power Sector Issues Note
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2013-06) Kochnakyan, Artur; Khosla, Sunil Kumar; Buranov, Iskander; Hofer, Kathrin; Hankinson, Denzel; Finn, Joshua
    This note focuses on the energy and power sector in Uzbekistan with the purpose of identifying some of the key issues faced by the sector and outlining potential solutions. In particular, the note aims to inform the Government thinking by providing input on priorities in the sector. The note also outlines potential solutions the Government may want to consider to address the identified challenges in the short and longer time and highlights the areas where the Government can start acting immediately. The analysis is based on the information and data provided by the Government during preparation of the Bank's investment lending operations, other analytical work as well as data/information collected from public sources. The note is structured as follows: section one discusses the importance of the energy sector to the economy and provides an overview of the sector. Section two provides a more detailed overview of the power sector. Section three identifies the principal challenges in the power sector. Section four proposes potential solutions to address these challenges. Finally, section five outlines a potential role for the World Bank in supporting the Government to address power sector challenges.
  • Publication
    Vietnam Power Sector : Generation Options
    (Washington, DC, 2009-12-29) World Bank
    This report discusses the energy sector in Vietnam. The central task for the energy sector is to meet demands for electricity in sufficient quantity and of an acceptable quality, in as commercially and financially efficient a way as possible. Several issues arise if this task is to be accomplished in the short and medium term. They are: optimizing power investments; financing the investments that must be made; implementing the reforms in the power industry and restructuring EVN; improving access and service quality; and addressing shortcomings in pricing and tariffs. This study discusses the first of these issues, though inevitably there is some overlap. The study has four specific objectives: (1) to inform decisions about technology choices; (2) to inform decisions on energy and energy sector policy; (3) to inform the energy sector planning process; and (4) to inform the internal discussion within the Bank on how Vietnam's energy sector development can be assisted.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

  • Publication
    Taxes, Spending, and Equity: International Patterns and Lessons for Developing Countries
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-11-17) Wai-Poi, Matthew; Sosa, Mariano; Bachas, Pierre
    Taxes and public spending underpin the basic administration of government and finance the human capital and infrastructure investments needed for economic growth. They can also have a significant and immediate impact on poverty and inequality. The question of how public finance can support longer-term growth objectives while promoting equity has become even more important in recent years, given the high fiscal deficits and debt levels most countries emerged with in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. These included the increasing cost of debt and the need to restart environmentally sustainable growth while helping households address the learning losses and other social scars caused by the pandemic. This paper examines the global evidence on which households pay which taxes and who benefits from what spending, and critically, the net effect on different households across the income distribution. The aim is to identify the patterns and lessons that emerge for designing progressive fiscal policies. A global dataset of 96 countries is assembled, spanning all regions of the world and all national income levels, grounded in the Commitment to Equity (CEQ) approach to fiscal incidence.
  • Publication
    Kyrgyz Republic Country Climate and Development Report
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-11-03) World Bank Group
    This Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) on the Kyrgyz Republic aims to support the country’s development goals amid a changing climate. The CCDR considers two policy scenarios up to 2050: the business-as-usual (BAU) and high-growth scenarios. As it quantifies the likely impacts of climate change on the Kyrgyz economy between now and 2050, the report highlights key government actions to best prepare for and adapt to climate impacts (referred to as “with adaptation” measures), with a particular focus on the time horizon up to 2030. The CCDR also outlines a path to net zero emissions by 2050 (referred to as “with mitigation” measures, “decarbonization,” or, simply, “net zero 2050”), highlighting associated development co-benefits.
  • Publication
    Digital Africa
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-03-13) Begazo, Tania; Dutz, Mark Andrew; Blimpo, Moussa
    All African countries need better and more jobs for their growing populations. "Digital Africa: Technological Transformation for Jobs" shows that broader use of productivity-enhancing, digital technologies by enterprises and households is imperative to generate such jobs, including for lower-skilled people. At the same time, it can support not only countries’ short-term objective of postpandemic economic recovery but also their vision of economic transformation with more inclusive growth. These outcomes are not automatic, however. Mobile internet availability has increased throughout the continent in recent years, but Africa’s uptake gap is the highest in the world. Areas with at least 3G mobile internet service now cover 84 percent of Africa’s population, but only 22 percent uses such services. And the average African business lags in the use of smartphones and computers as well as more sophisticated digital technologies that catalyze further productivity gains. Two issues explain the usage gap: affordability of these new technologies and willingness to use them. For the 40 percent of Africans below the extreme poverty line, mobile data plans alone would cost one-third of their incomes—in addition to the price of access devices, apps, and electricity. Data plans for small- and medium-size businesses are also more expensive than in other regions. Moreover, shortcomings in the quality of internet services—and in the supply of attractive, skills-appropriate apps that promote entrepreneurship and raise earnings—dampen people’s willingness to use them. For those countries already using these technologies, the development payoffs are significant. New empirical studies for this report add to the rapidly growing evidence that mobile internet availability directly raises enterprise productivity, increases jobs, and reduces poverty throughout Africa. To realize these and other benefits more widely, Africa’s countries must implement complementary and mutually reinforcing policies to strengthen both consumers’ ability to pay and willingness to use digital technologies. These interventions must prioritize productive use to generate large numbers of inclusive jobs in a region poised to benefit from a massive, youthful workforce—one projected to become the world’s largest by the end of this century.
  • Publication
    Continental Drying: A Threat to Our Common Future
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-11-04) Zhang, Fan; Borja-Vega, Christian; Chandanpurkar, Hrishikesh Arvind; Famiglietti, James; Hogeboom, Rick; Namara, Regassa; Rasul, Zarif; Luengas-Sierra, Pavel; Rao, Deyu
    Grounded in new evidence from satellite data, “Continental Drying: A Threat to Our Common Future” presents the first global assessment of freshwater reserves over the past two decades. The findings expose an alarming trend of “continental drying,” a persistent long-term decline in freshwater availability across vast landmasses. Not only are droughts and deluges becoming more unpredictable, but the total amount of freshwater available for use has also significantly declined. Continental drying, driven by global warming, worsening droughts, and unsustainable water and land use, is a silent but accelerating crisis—largely unknown to the public—that reshapes the global water narrative. Continental drying raises profound risks. This report reveals new empirical evidence showing how freshwater depletion leads to major job losses, reduced incomes, wildfires, and biodiversity threats. In the long term, the combined effects of drying and warming could push societies toward a tipping point where damage accelerates rapidly and adaptation becomes increasingly difficult. Against the backdrop of continental drying, global water consumption rose by 25 percent between 2000 and 2019, with about a third of this increase occurring in regions already experiencing drying. Compounding the pressure, a substantial share of water use in drying regions remains inefficient. Continental Drying identifies hot spots where rising demand and declining supply converge and explores where and how water savings can be realized. This report recommends a three-pronged approach to address the crisis: managing demand, augmenting water supply, and improving water allocation. Five cross-cutting levers—strengthening institutions, reforming water tariffs and repurposing subsidies, adopting water accounting, leveraging data and technological innovations, and valuing water in trade—are essential for effective implementation and to attract private investment to finance the approach. Beyond water, addressing trade barriers, investing in education and skills development, and improving access to markets and financial services are critical for strengthening job and livelihood resilience amid a continental drying crisis.
  • Publication
    Direct and Indirect Impacts of Transport Mobility on Access to Jobs: Evidence from South Africa
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-11-12) Iimi, Atsushi
    Access to jobs is essential for economic growth. In Africa, unemployment rates are notably high. This paper reexamines the relationship between transport mobility and labor market outcomes, with a particular focus on the direct and indirect effects of transport connectivity. As predicted by theory, wages are influenced by the level of commuting deterrence. Generally, higher earnings are associated with longer commute times and/or higher commuting costs. Local accessibility is also important, especially for individuals with time constraints. Both direct and indirect impacts are found to be significant in South Africa, where job accessibility has been challenging since the end of apartheid. For the direct impact, the wage elasticity associated with commuting costs is significant. Returns on commute are particularly high for women. Local accessibility to socioeconomic facilities, such as shops and health services, is also found to have a significant impact, consistent with the concept of mobility of care. To enhance employment, therefore, it is crucial to connect people not only to job locations but also to various socioeconomic points of interest, such as markets and hospitals, in an integrated manner. This integration will enable individuals to spend more time working and commuting longer distances.