Hedge Funds' African "Land Grab"

The Oakland Institute, a liberal policy think tank focusing on social, economic, and environmental issues, recently issued a report criticizing the African land acquisition activities of certain hedge funds. The BBC provided a story about it in today's editions.

The charges essentially evoke the bad old days of 19th Century colonialism, in which European nations carved up the mother continent in order to exploit its resources. The hedge funds are hardly the only "guilty" parties in this land grab. Various Chinese enterprises, many connected to the central state apparatus, have made their foothold in Africa. Energy companies from all over the world have strong connections to mostly unsavory governments in countries where oil flows. And some of the original colonial-era players remain, especially in francophone West Africa.

The land grab in Africa deserves more attention, and the Oakland Institute's report helps bring a spotlight to this troubling issue.