The oil and gas infrastructure, with its platforms, rigs, production and storage
facilities, etc., is presently bringing in, a substantial revenue to the Equatoguinean
state. There is certainly construction (infrastructure boom) going on in Equatorial
Guinea, but is it the right one for the country? Some people look at Gabon, Nigeria,
some forty kilometres away, which, in the 1970s and 1980s, was flourishing with
petro dollars obtained from a petroleum boom, and, therefore constructed government buildings, functioning electrical grids, and even a national railway. Now that
this petroleum boom is over, this has been followed by decommissioning, etc. All
seem to be abandoned, for lack of revenue. Some people believe that Equatorial
Guinea could have learnt some lesson from the history of Gabon, by avoiding an
unnecessary waste of money, such as the extension of the coastal promenade (paseo
maritime). Although beautiful, it has cost a fortune, but brings only infinitesimal
value compared to what could result by investing in the university for technicians
training. Gabon has built a concrete jungle - buildings, skyscrapers - which, unless
used, means money wasted.
Thus, people in Equatorial Guinea fear that without a proper planning and
implementation, the country will just be a collection of many buildings, albeit
with modern and permanent materials, prior to the oil and gas resources getting
exhausted with the reasonable time estimates of 30 years, before dwindling
resources, fleeing foreign capital, decommission and abandonment, before ruins
start making their appearance.
Although the buildings are designed to last for a long time, unfortunately, their
maintenance and repair also depend on the revenue from oil.
7.8.7 Infrastructure as Country Icons
The film The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) uses the historical setting of the
construction of the Burma Railway in 1942–1943, to suggest that soldiers, when
directed properly can achieve great performance.
Why do countries build great structures, apart from being useful in their own
right?
Schwenkel (2018) explains how (in a 1970 documentary film), while the generation plant in Vinh City, Vietnam is being continually bombed by US warplanes,
technicians continue to repair the turbine. Workers struggle to keep the power on,
while the soldiers are defending the city. Over a period of more than 10 years,
Vietnamese infrastructure has been targeted, including the famous Hàm Rông
(Dragon’s Jaw) bridge - a vital transport connection between north and south. The
bridge would be repaired within days to allow vehicles resume their passage. Over
time, the bridge obtained a legendary prestige as an emblem of Vietnamese resilience and U.S. technological ineffectiveness.
7.8 Social Aspects of Infrastructure
209
facilities, etc., is presently bringing in, a substantial revenue to the Equatoguinean
state. There is certainly construction (infrastructure boom) going on in Equatorial
Guinea, but is it the right one for the country? Some people look at Gabon, Nigeria,
some forty kilometres away, which, in the 1970s and 1980s, was flourishing with
petro dollars obtained from a petroleum boom, and, therefore constructed government buildings, functioning electrical grids, and even a national railway. Now that
this petroleum boom is over, this has been followed by decommissioning, etc. All
seem to be abandoned, for lack of revenue. Some people believe that Equatorial
Guinea could have learnt some lesson from the history of Gabon, by avoiding an
unnecessary waste of money, such as the extension of the coastal promenade (paseo
maritime). Although beautiful, it has cost a fortune, but brings only infinitesimal
value compared to what could result by investing in the university for technicians
training. Gabon has built a concrete jungle - buildings, skyscrapers - which, unless
used, means money wasted.
Thus, people in Equatorial Guinea fear that without a proper planning and
implementation, the country will just be a collection of many buildings, albeit
with modern and permanent materials, prior to the oil and gas resources getting
exhausted with the reasonable time estimates of 30 years, before dwindling
resources, fleeing foreign capital, decommission and abandonment, before ruins
start making their appearance.
Although the buildings are designed to last for a long time, unfortunately, their
maintenance and repair also depend on the revenue from oil.
7.8.7 Infrastructure as Country Icons
The film The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) uses the historical setting of the
construction of the Burma Railway in 1942–1943, to suggest that soldiers, when
directed properly can achieve great performance.
Why do countries build great structures, apart from being useful in their own
right?
Schwenkel (2018) explains how (in a 1970 documentary film), while the generation plant in Vinh City, Vietnam is being continually bombed by US warplanes,
technicians continue to repair the turbine. Workers struggle to keep the power on,
while the soldiers are defending the city. Over a period of more than 10 years,
Vietnamese infrastructure has been targeted, including the famous Hàm Rông
(Dragon’s Jaw) bridge - a vital transport connection between north and south. The
bridge would be repaired within days to allow vehicles resume their passage. Over
time, the bridge obtained a legendary prestige as an emblem of Vietnamese resilience and U.S. technological ineffectiveness.
7.8 Social Aspects of Infrastructure
209