In a matter of weeks, oil prices surged from around USD 70 to USD 126 per barrel, sending shockwaves through African economies already under pressure from the Gulf crisis. What may appear as a distant geopolitical event is, in reality, transmitting immediate and material consequences across the continent.

16 April 26

What we are seeing is not just market volatility, but risk crystallising in very specific ways:

  • The crisis is playing out within contracts, where force majeure, pricing, and war risk clauses will determine how costs are allocated and who ultimately bears them.
  • Africa’s reliance on external fuel and fertiliser supply chains has turned a global disruption into a direct threat to both energy security and food systems
  • The required response is both immediate and strategic: audit existing contracts, diversify supply sources, and accelerate investment in domestic and regional capacity

Over the past few weeks, we have been closely analysing the Gulf crisis and its implications for Africa. This first article in our Africa at the Chokepoint series, Contracts, Crises and Chokepoints,  explores why Africa’s exposure to this shock is structural, not accidental, and what that means in practical, legal, and commercial terms.

Click here to download and read the full article.


 

 

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