With 40 years' background in economics in Africa and the developing world, including 30 years within the world exploration industry, Duncan Clarke is a leading thinker, speaker and writer on oil, geopolitics and economics in Africa, as well as the world upstream industry.

His latest book: Africa's Future: Darkness to Destiny - How the past is shaping Africa's economic evolution is published by Profile Books London on 16 February 2012.

Advance reviews include: "Richly detailed...indispensable for anyone interested in global trends in the 21st century." Ian Morris, author of Why the West Rules - For Now.

Founder of Global Pacific & Partners, an advisory firm in world oil/gas, and an Advisor to Governments, National Oil Companies, Licensing Agencies, Multilateral Institutions and Companies, he conducts annual Strategy Briefings on Africa, Asia, Latin America, MidEast, and the world oil future.

He was born in Zimbabwe, and is based in Johannesburg. He has a B.Comm. (Hons) Economics, Rhodes University (South Africa, 1969) and a Ph.D (Economics), University of St. Andrews (Scotland, 1975).