Systematic Review and Descriptive Meta-Analysis of Oil and Gas Facility Siting in Africa: GIS–MCDA Approaches, Environmental Governance, and Sustainable Land Management
Keywords:
Oil and Gas Infrastructure Siting, Systematic Review, Descriptive Meta-Analysis, GIS–MCDA, Environmental Impact Assessment, Spatial Decision-MakingAbstract
This study evaluates the evolving methodologies, environmental implications, and socioeconomic outcomes associated with oil and gas facility siting across Africa, where rapid urbanization, weak institutional enforcement, and environmental vulnerability complicate infrastructure planning. Using PRISMA-guided systematic review procedures, 17,385 records published between 2000 and 2025 were screened, resulting in 40 eligible studies synthesized through descriptive meta-analysis and thematic comparative analysis. The review assessed siting criteria, methodological trends, regulatory compliance, environmental impacts, and socioeconomic outcomes across African subregions. Findings reveal a transition from traditional proximity-based siting approaches toward integrated Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) frameworks. Hybrid models such as Fuzzy AHP–VIKOR increasingly improved uncertainty handling, stakeholder integration, and environmental risk assessment in data-scarce environments. Regional differences were evident. West African studies focused mainly on spatial optimization and compliance assessment, Southern African studies demonstrated stronger integration of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) frameworks, while East African studies increasingly emphasized participatory governance and environmental justice. The synthesis identified persistent challenges, including regulatory non-compliance, inadequate longitudinal datasets, fragmented institutional enforcement, and limited real-time environmental monitoring systems. The study further revealed increasing integration of social sustainability indicators such as displacement risk, stakeholder participation, and community acceptance into recent siting frameworks. The review concludes that sustainable oil and gas facilities siting in Africa require integrated, evidence-based, participatory, and regulation-driven spatial planning frameworks. Future siting models should incorporate climate resilience, renewable transition indicators, and adaptive multi-energy infrastructure planning to support sustainable land management and energy development across Africa.
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