Let's Talk Afro-Geopolitics: Hydro-Power in the Case of Ethiopia and the D.R. Congo

[MajorVitaman]

Hey y'all.

Decided to start what I hope will become a thread series on African Geopolitics. Every week, let's discuss a different issue regarding the geopolitics of Africa and its diaspora. Hopefully, it's not too ambitious. The topic for his week is hydroelectricity and it's connection to geopolitics.

Ethiopia and the D.R. Congo are the case examples to jump this discussion off but by no means are we to be limited to those two countries.

Observations:
1. Ethiopia is seeking to make one of the foundations of its regional political power hydroelectricity.
2. Ethiopia is the source of the Blue Nile. It has massive amounts of hydroelectric potential because of its unique topography.
3. It plans to construct dams (including the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam) to provide cheap electricity.
4. Cheap electricity will power Ethiopia's industries and will cut down the structural costs for it be a manufacturing nation. If the manufacturing industry is labour-intensive, it will reduce poverty and employ people. This may lead to an increase in the country's wealth. It will also allow Ethiopia to export electricity to Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, and Egypt.
5. Regional dominance in North-Eastern Africa is hard to decipher. Egypt appears to be the regional power but its head in the Arab World while its body is in Africa. Ethiopia has the potential to usurp it because if it control one of the sources of the Nile (due to dams), it can have Egypt by the balls. Sudan too.
6. Ethiopia is using electricity to make Northeastern Africa dependent upon her.

7. What is the Congo planning to do with its own hydroelectric potential. Its potential is so vast, it can power 40 per cent of Africa's need.
8. Is Congo also seeking to use its hydroelectricity in the same way to dominate the region? Or is it letting it's resources by siphoned away by players such as China, South Korea and South Africa? Bearing in mind that hydroelectricity in the Congo would allow it's copper industry to become productive again and could make conditions for the return of light industry feasible.

DR Congo waits on funding for world's largest hydropower project

@Poitier @KidStranglehold @bdizzle
Please tag others onto this thread, please.

What if we did a similar idea near the mississippi river

 

[Bawon Samedi]

 

[Sound (∀√a) Maths]

Do you mean that Kabila the Younger does not possess the mettle to deal with the likes of Kagame or Museveni?

The true test of whether Kabila is like the other leaders in Central Africa is if he's able to win 'elections' or delay them

Even if Kabila does delay them, what are his ideas about the developmental state model? He may want to look around the continent to see why he's floundering.

This "Kabila' is not Congolese brehs, he is Rwandian. So he works in the interest of Kagame.

Regarding the dam, I've known about since I was young and I know the completion of it can provide Africa most of it's electricity but whose hands are in the pot? Last I read upon it , it said the electricity could diverted into Europe.

 

[Sound (∀√a) Maths]

Excellent overview of the topic. See how the Congo-Kinshasa one dwarfs the others and who is bankrolling it? I would not be surprised if the power gets diverted towards Europe rather than serving African interests.

 

[Bawon Samedi]

This "Kabila' is not Congolese brehs, he is Rwandian. So he works in the interest of Kagame.

Regarding the dam, I've known about since I was young and I know the completion of it can provide Africa most of it's electricity but whose hands are in the pot? Last I read upon it , it said the electricity could diverted into Europe.

I NEVER read anywhere that Laurent-Désiré Kabila or his son are of Rwandan origin. Laurent was born in the in the Katangu region of DRC and he is of the Luba people who are not even indigenous to Rwanda. Where did you hear this from?

 

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

I NEVER read anywhere that Laurent-Désiré Kabila or his son are of Rwandan origin. Laurent was born in the in the Katangu region of DRC and he is of the Luba people who are not even indigenous to Rwanda. Where did you hear this from?

I've also heard the rumour that Kabila the Younger had a Tutsi mother...

 

[Bawon Samedi]

I've also heard the rumour that Kabila the Younger had a Tutsi mother...

Some of the stuff I read seem to come from conspiracy type sites.

 

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

Some of the stuff I read seem to come from conspiracy type sites.

Yeah. Regardless of his maternal origins, he doesn't seem to like the Rwandan regime.

 

[Bawon Samedi]

Yeah. Regardless of his maternal origins, he doesn't seem to like the Rwandan regime.

Which is why I doubt what @Sound (∀√a) Maths said.

After the first Congo War, Kabila's father basically betrayed Kagame.

 

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

Which is why I doubt what @Sound (∀√a) Maths said.

After the first Congo War, Kabila's father basically betrayed Kagame.

The Rwandan counter-attack using commercial jets to infiltrate was genius. In spite of the RPF's evil, they were smart tacticians.

 

[Bawon Samedi]

The Rwandan counter-attack using commercial jets to infiltrate was genius. In spite of the RPF's evil, they were smart tacticians.

I too notice that.

 

[Sound (∀√a) Maths]

I NEVER read anywhere that Laurent-Désiré Kabila or his son are of Rwandan origin. Laurent was born in the in the Katangu region of DRC and he is of the Luba people who are not even indigenous to Rwanda. Where did you hear this from?

Who is Joseph Kabila and did he assassinate his ‘father’? | Zambian Watchdog

Concerning the true Identity of Mr. Hippolyte Kanambe alias “Joseph Kabila”

SPY BOMBSHELL FROM PARIS: DRC IS RUN BY RWANDANS AND JOSEPH KABILA IS KAGAME’S TROJAN HORSE

 

[BlackManLiveFromLondon]

Personally, I am bearish on DRC with Kagame, Museveni and Teshome as life time leaders in the region.

A Rwandan would never allow us to potentially have 4/10th of Africa relying on us without them getting a piece of the cake

And its not just them, its also the US and Belgium fukk em both

 

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

A Rwandan would never allow us to potentially have 4/10th of Africa relying on us without them getting a piece of the cake

And its not just them, its also the US and Belgium fukk em both

What do you think Rwanda's end game is?

 

[2Quik4UHoes]

Egypt been acting like they control the whole Nile... Ethiopia and Egypt been having disputes about the Nile since 2010 as far as I can remember.

Nah, the Nile beef literally goes back to Pharaonic times. Egypt lives and dies off of Nile water and the Blue Nile accounts for a very large percentage of the water count and also provides the silt and other nutrients which feeds Egyptian agriculture along the Nile. The truth is, studies had been done long before this which proved that if Ethiopia harnessed the hydroelectric potential of the Blue Nile it would not affect Egypt's share of Nile water. Old colonial bullshyt, larger geopolitical players jumping in and out of the schism, and Ethiopia's moments of instability has made this issue linger longer than it should have.

This book is a little dated, but I'd recommend yall read "Black Africa" by Cheikh Anta Diop. He goes over the whole continent with regard to the potential of nation building through the combination of natural resources like rivers, mineral deposits, etc. This thread reminded me of that book. With sustainable development and by harnessing the natural resources available the continent could benefit greatly.