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Benjamin

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AUGÉ

Associate Research Fellow, Sub-Saharan Africa Center / Energy and Climate Center, Ifri

Research Areas:

Oil, gas, governance
Hydrocarbon exploitation in transboundary and disputed areas
African diplomacies and relations between Africa and the Arab world
Algeria, Nigeria, Mauritania, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Mozambique

Sub-Saharan Africa Center

Center for Energy & Climate

Benjamin Augé has been an Associate Fellow within our program since June 2010. He obtained his Phd in geography from the French Institute of Geopolitics (University of Paris 8), he is otherwise Chief Editor of Africa Energy Intelligence, a newsletter focused on Energy issues in Africa. He is also a guest speaker at the French War College, HEC, Sciences-Po Paris and the École nationale d'administration (National school of administration - ENA).

His research focuses on the economic and political management of the hydrocarbons and electrical sectors in African states. Benjamin Augé takes a particular interest in conflicts between different stakeholders (local, national, and international) for the control of oil zones, as well as in the border disputes linked to shared oil and gas basins. In addition to Nigeria, Angola, Gabon and the Republic of Congo, he studies in particular new and future African hydrocarbon producers such as Sudan, Chad, Mauritania, Uganda, Ghana, Mozambique and Tanzania. His PhD thesis focused on oil production in conflict areas notably in the Great Lakes and East Africa region. Publication of this work is due in 2013.

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Ifri, a foundation recognized as being of public utility, relies largely on private donors – companies and individuals – to guarantee its sustainability and intellectual independence. Through their funding, donors help maintain the Institute's position among the world's leading think tanks. By benefiting from an internationally recognized network and expertise, donors refine their understanding of geopolitical risk and its consequences on global politics and the economy. In 2024, Ifri will support more than 70 French and foreign companies and organizations.

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Analysis from Benjamin AUGÉ

Publications

Papers

The 2016 Failed Coup in Turkey: What Is the Impact on Turkish-African Relations?

26 June 2018

The July 2016 failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government not only resulted in a dramatic upheaval in Turkey, it also had a significant impact on the structure of its international relations and its networks of influence abroad.

Benjamin AUGÉ

Papers

L’Égypte, nouvelle plateforme gazière en Méditerranée orientale

03 September 2018

Recent offshore gas discoveries in the Eastern Mediterranean, primarily in Egypt as well as in Israel, but also around Cyprus, are dramatically changing these countries' energy perspectives and economies, and also influence geopolitical balances in the region.

Benjamin AUGÉ

Papers

Oil Exploration and Production in Africa since 2014. Evolution of the Key Players and their Strategies

17 May 2018

The fall in oil prices, which began in fall 2014, had a significant influence on the strategies of the key players in the oil industry in Africa.

Benjamin AUGÉ

Papers

Strategies of African national oil companies

27 September 2017

The study and comparison of different National Oil Companies (NOC) help understanding the political history of Algeria, Nigeria and Angola. The NOC’s role and activities depend on several economic and political aspects. For example, Angolan Sonangol has been the coffer for the Popular Movement of Liberation of Angola (MPLA) party to fund its struggle against the National Union for the Independence of Angola (UNITA) party during civil war.

Benjamin AUGÉ

Papers

Diplomatic Relations between Qatar and Sub-Saharan Africa. An Evolving Affair

16 August 2016

In the space of 20 years, under the leadership of the former Emir, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, in power between 1995 and 2013, Qatar became a country which matters due to its status, obtained in 2006, as the leading world producer of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Benjamin AUGÉ

Papers

Nigeria: From Goodluck Jonathan to Muhammadu Buhari

18 December 2015

Nigeria has experienced a political changeover due to the presidential and parliamentary elections on 28 March 2015, enabling Muhammadu Buhari – a retired general who was in power between 1983 and 1985 – to return to office. The deadline of 2015 represented for him a fourth attempt after his consecutive failures in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 presidential elections.

Benjamin AUGÉ

Papers

Port Said, Egypt, 2007 - The Offshore Supply Ship OSA Viscount passing north in the Suez Canal at sunset. BigRoloImages

Hopes for a New Energy Independency in Egypt

22 February 2016

The recent discovery of the giant Zohr's gas field will drastically change the energy future of Egypt, which is today increasingly dependent on imports to meet its growing domestic demand.

Benjamin AUGÉ

Editorials

Nigeria's 2015 Presidential Election: Deciphering a High-risk Operation

27 February 2015

Nigeria is entering a new electoral cycle, holding its sixth general elections since the restoration of civilian rule in 1999. The elections were initially scheduled for February 14 (presidential elections) and 28 (governorship elections), 2015. The first round has now been postponed until March 28. The issue of the threat posed to Nigeria by Boko Haram is not, as one might expect, at the heart of the debate surrounding the presidential campaign in the country. Nevertheless, the peculiar security context in which the forthcoming elections will take place, as well as the changes under way in Nigeria's political landscape, make this vote unique. It is therefore essential to analyze the various issues at stake in the country's sixth general elections.

Benjamin AUGÉ

Papers

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Oil and Gas in Eastern Africa: Current Developments and Future Perspectives

05 March 2015

The position of oil companies toward East Africa has changed considerably since 2006 when the first reserves in Uganda came to light. However, for many investors interested in the region, it remains difficult to get a clear picture of the scale of developments of this sector.

Benjamin AUGÉ

Papers

Gas in Mozambique: a High-risk Economic Revolution

02 June 2014

Since oil was discovered in Uganda in 2006, East Africa has been an arena for a race in the exploration for hydro-carbons. Yet the oil reserves in Uganda, the more recent and modest ones in Kenya and the few pockets of gas in Ethiopia are on a completely different scale from the enormous gas resources discovered since 2010 in the off-shore waters of Mozambique and Tanzania.

Benjamin AUGÉ