While Aliko Dangote has all but begun work on the physical construction of an East African replica of his world-class 650,000 bpd Nigerian Petroleum refinery, the green ghouls of Malthusianism have been hard at work plotting ways to stop it. Stung by their inability to stop the Tanzanian East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP, now reportedly “91% complete"), they may be doubly determined to stop it.
In a statement released July 14, Greenpeace Africa activist Sherelee Odayar declared that the chosen site of the refinery, Lamu Port (actually a virtually uninhabited island), was “one of East Africa’s most fragile coastal ecosystems,” and that “any [environmental review, now under way by Kenya] must assess cumulative impacts on Lamu’s mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass beds, and fishing livelihoods.” On July 31, activist Odayar expanded her threats, telling Semafor that “all options were on the table, including advocacy.”
Since the refinery is an all-private venture, financing is the responsibility of Dangote Industries, the owner. In a July 7 article (literally on the eve of Dangote’s July 8 announcement of the final site selection of Lamu Port), Reuters came out with a report on his funding options— “a mixture of cash, bonds and an IPO.” While Greenpeace and friends may not have the leverage to break the continent’s richest man at the bank, they can try (as they did with the EACOP) to target the insurance companies— whose CEOs and shareholders are still sensitive to their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings— by holding sit-ins and (possibly) super-gluing themselves to some buildings.
