Nightmare scenarios unfolding in Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea fuel obvious concerns when an African country discovers oil just off its shores. News that Ghana had found significant (for Ghana) oil stores yesterday prompted an interesting rundown of potential outcomes from Ethan Zuckerman. He has reason to believe Ghana can confound the 'resource curse' that has plagued other African countries:

There’s reasons to think the Ghanaian government will be able to avoid some of the traps other nations have fallen into. Ghana is in excellent economic shape in comparison to its neighbors. It’s one of the very few nations in West Africa on pace to meet its millenium development goals and to halve poverty by 2015 - the percentage of Ghanaians living in poverty has dropped from 52% in 1992 to 35% by 2003. Economic growth has averaged 4.5% a year since 1983, and has been at or above 6% the last three years. This growth has had some connection to natural resources and commidities, including gold and cocoa, but has also included growth in tourism and service outsourcing. A stable, investment-friendly government has encouraged many diaspora Ghanaians to return home and start businesses. Friends from around the continent report a sense of excitement in visiting Accra and Kumasi, and a sense that the country is going through an economic revolution.