1. I Need You, I Don’t Need You: South Africa and Inga III
- Author:
- CIC Congo Research Group
- Publication Date:
- 03-2020
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Center on International Cooperation
- Abstract:
- A new report from CIC’s Congo Research Group and Phuzumoya Consulting, I Need You, I Don’t Need You: South Africa and Inga III, places South Africa’s backing of Inga III in the context of its foreign policy. The report argues that South Africa’s current Inga policy is contradictory, oscillating between the desire to project an image of being a pan-Africanist power promoting the continent’s economic development, and the reality that committing to the project makes little financial or energy policy sense. A power purchasing agreement from South Africa is critical for the dam’s construction—but buying electricity from Inga III will be risky for South Africa, especially since it may end up being expensive than other sources. The resulting uncertainty about whether South Africa will ever really be an anchor client for Inga III thus puts into question the bankability—and indeed the feasibility—of the whole project.
- Topic:
- Energy Policy and Infrastructure
- Political Geography:
- Africa, South Africa, and Congo