The Niger Delta Crisis—Why It's Not Just About the Oil

The Open Society Institute hosted a panel discussion and reception to mark the Washington, D.C., opening of its documentary photography exhibit Moving Walls 14.

The Niger Delta is an example of the "resource curse" and its damaging impacts, such as poorly managed revenues, kleptocratic rulers, and devastated communities. Despite new initiatives to resolve the economic and social crisis in Nigeria’s oil states, little has worked. Many have focused on the role of armed and criminal gangs and the need for military force, however one issue—the way communities are governed and how leaders can be held accountable—needs more attention. This discussion focused on how to forge new approaches to the problems of the Niger Delta.

Panelists included Antoine Heuty, Senior Economist, Revenue Watch Institute; Ed Kashi, Photographer; Todd Moss, Senior Fellow and Director of the Emerging Africa Project, the Center for Global Development; and Asume Isaac Osuoka, Director, Social Action.