National Planning and Development in British West Africa
INTRODUCTION
Since independence, West Africa states have maintained close political and economic ties with their former colonial powers. During the colonial era, the colonial administrators successfully imposed and impressed their alien pattern and orientation in the socio¬-political and economic affairs of West African countries. West African economic affairs were distorted to an extent that two decades after independence, all the countries are very much dependent economically on their former colonial administrators. Post-colonial African economies are replete with the scars of the uneven and exploitative nature of colonialism. Despite the abundant resources of Africa, African countries are among the least developed and industrialized nations in the world. Thus, it cannot be denied that the post-colonial African economics are, by and large, a function of their colonial past. The colonial economics were directly linked to the economics of their respective metropolitan powers through an array of policies ranging from control of currency, trade policies and infrastructure.
Thus after independence, one of the problems of the new independent states was the struggle to break the colonial economic system inherited at independence. Under the colonial economy, these states remained predominantly producers of raw materials for the manufacturing industries of the colonial powers and consumers of their manufactured goods. Again, the imported and exported trade of these states was dominated by the big trading companies of the colonial powers.
However, West African government are very aware of the problems arising from the underdeveloped nature of their economy and that is why since independence, they have made concrete programmes to transform the economy and improve the peoples standard of living. The determination is reflected in the various development plans that have been drawn up by all the countries.1
It is at this juncture that this paper examines the various
Since independence, West Africa states have maintained close political and economic ties with their former colonial powers. During the colonial era, the colonial administrators successfully imposed and impressed their alien pattern and orientation in the socio¬-political and economic affairs of West African countries. West African economic affairs were distorted to an extent that two decades after independence, all the countries are very much dependent economically on their former colonial administrators. Post-colonial African economies are replete with the scars of the uneven and exploitative nature of colonialism. Despite the abundant resources of Africa, African countries are among the least developed and industrialized nations in the world. Thus, it cannot be denied that the post-colonial African economics are, by and large, a function of their colonial past. The colonial economics were directly linked to the economics of their respective metropolitan powers through an array of policies ranging from control of currency, trade policies and infrastructure.
Thus after independence, one of the problems of the new independent states was the struggle to break the colonial economic system inherited at independence. Under the colonial economy, these states remained predominantly producers of raw materials for the manufacturing industries of the colonial powers and consumers of their manufactured goods. Again, the imported and exported trade of these states was dominated by the big trading companies of the colonial powers.
However, West African government are very aware of the problems arising from the underdeveloped nature of their economy and that is why since independence, they have made concrete programmes to transform the economy and improve the peoples standard of living. The determination is reflected in the various development plans that have been drawn up by all the countries.1
It is at this juncture that this paper examines the various