THE COLONIAL ECONOMY
By the end of the 19th century
European powers had already suppressed African resistance and extended their
rule almost throughout the entire continent, the countries that were subjected
to colonial rule by this time were Ethiopia and Liberia.
Colonial economies were established in Africa over a
span of years. During that period African self sufficient economic
were transformed and made inferior. The colonialists reorganize the
traditional African societies to meet their selfish interests.
The colonial economy refers to the production and
consumption patterns that existed in Africa during the colonial
period. The colonial economy was imposed on the Africans.
Specific objectives
i. Analyse agricultural policies and
strategies undertaken to improve. Agricultural production in the colonies
during and after the second world war.
ii. Analyse the various development
schemes undertaken in the colonies
iii. Explain the objectives of introducing progressive
or master farmers
iv. Discuss the reasons for introducing
cooperatives and marketing boards.
Objectives of the colonial economy
There are various economic reasons that made the
colonial powers to establish the colonial economy in Africa. These
are the following:-
1. Need for markets
- By the late 19th century, the industries in Europe
were producing more industrial goods than Europeans could consume,
Industrialists encourage their government to undertake colonization in Africa
in order to protect markets for their Industrial goods. -There was over
production in Europe where their goods were unmarketable, hence they decide to
come Africa to find market for their goods products.
The colonial powers were looking for areas where they
can sell their manufacture goods.
2. Need for raw material
- They
were looking for cheap raw material such as cotton, minerals. They took
material in
Africa to European Industries -Colonial power were
established processing Industries in Africa so that they can process material
before they took to their countries. Example cotton and sisal.
- In
19th century experienced the Industrial revolution, so they nee industrial
production like mode of production, which include human resources , capital
resources and natural resources
- European
Industrial were dependent on raw materials from Asia, America and Africa
- They
Need raw materials to feed their industries in Europe, Example: cotton,
They were looking for cheap raw material because in
Europe they had been exhausted and the remaining ones were quiet
expensive.
3. Need for investment.
-They need to get Investment areas, They had large
capital which made them to unable to sell their product:
-There was high population in Europe and shortage of
land, rich people were control land where poor become landless.
They were looking for areas where they can invest
their excess capital; they could not invest in Europe because the markets were
saturated.
4. Need for cheap labour.
They need cheap labour, Industrial revolution in
Europe introduced new machine which replaced human labour after abolition of
slave trade The colonial powers were searching for cheap labour. Labor was
expensive in Europe because the workers were demanding for high wages.
These motives clearly show that the colonial powers
established the colonial economy not to serve the Africans, but to satisfy
their own selfish interests.
Characteristics of the colonial
economy:-
1. Export-Import oriented.
The colonial economies were export
oriented because they were based on the export of raw materials both mineral
and agricultural and importation of manufactured goods from Europe.
2. Monoculture economies
The colonial economies were specialized in the
production of the major commodity for example Mauritius specialized in the
production of sugar, Ghana, Zambia and Zaire in Cocoa now the Democratic
Republic of the Congo specialized in the production of copper.
3. Manufacturing sector was
small and weak.
The manufacturing sector was small and weak because
the colonial powers discouraged the establishment of heavy manufacturing
industries in Africa. Africa had to remain a producer of raw
materials and a market for European manufactured goods. The few
industries that were established were semi–processing industries that aimed at
reducing the weight of raw materials to facilitate their exportation of Europe.
4. Production was based on
coercion.
The colonial economy was imposed on the Africans and
they were forced to produce for the export market rather than their own
consumption consequently there was no time to produce food which led to
frequent famine in Africa.
5. Exploitation
• Land alienation.
Land alienation involved taking land from the Africans
so as to create room for cash crop production and mining
activities. The land that was taken was the land which was fertile
and had minerals in large quantity land alienation was common in settle colonies
such as Zimbabwe and Kenya.
• Taxation.
The colonial economy was characterized with the
introduction of taxes such as the poll and hut taxes. Taxes were
introduced as an indirect way of getting labor. To get money to pay
the taxes, the African had to sell their labor thus the colonialist got both
cheap labor and cash crops.
METHODS USED BY THE COLONIAL POWERS TO
ESTABLISH THE COLONIALECONOMY IN AFRICA
The colonial economy was established through
recreation, destruction and preservation.
A. Creation:-
It was a method established by European to Introduce
new element that were not existed in the native areas.
Under creation new elements were introduced by the
colonial powers on the traditional
African economy.
These elements include the following:-
1. Land alienation, By occupying
method and dividing land. Example: North Tanzania, high land were created as
production area while south and central Tanzania were created as labour reserve.
Land alienation involved the grabbing of land from the
Africans as a way of getting areas where the growing of cash crops and mining
activities could take place. It was the fertile land and land with
minerals in large quantities that was taken by the
colonialists. Land alienation was common in settle colonies such as
Kenya and Zimbabwe.
2. Taxation.
The colonial powers introduced taxation as an indirect
way of getting cheap labor. To pay taxes the Africans had to sell
their labor on the colonial farms, in this way the colonialists acquired both
cheap labor and cash crops that were needed as raw materials in Europe.
Example: hat tax , matiti tax and head tax.
3. Forced cash crop production.
The colonial powers forced Africans
to produce cash crops such as coffee, cotton and sisal which were needed as raw
materials. The Africans produced cash crops at the expense of food
crops; this explains the widespread occurrence of famine in colonial Africa.
4. Introduction of the
monetary system.
The colonialists introduced money as a medium of
exchange; to get money the Africans had to sell their labor on the farms thus
the colonialists obtained both the cheap labor and cash crops which were the
needs of the colonial economy.
-Exchange of goods or service by using coins or paper
money.
5. Destruction- Greate forced
labour, labour were completed to work in the collonial farmers, Forced labour
was required to reduce costs that were needed in public services. Africa chiefs
were forced to produce labour at low cost.
The colonial powers destroyed Africans traditional
industries, by this policy all industries were to remain in Europe and Africa
was to be a source of markets for European manufactured goods and a producer of
raw materials. The traditional industries were destroyed in two main
ways i.e. force
and competition.
1. Force
Here different laws were passed by the colonial
government that threatened the African from engaging in industrial activities
for example in the Congo one would have his arms chopped off if he engaged in
industrial activities.
2. Competition
Here the colonial powers imported high quality
products from Europe in order to destroy the markets for the local products.
They
Introduced processing Industries
C. Preservation
The colonialists preserved some elements of
the pre–colonial African economies.
1.The basic tool of production remained to be the hand
hoe except that this one was imported. There were no improvements in
the tools of productive force.
2. The pre – capitalist relations of production
were preserved for example the feudal relations of production, but these served
the interests of the colonialists.
3. The basic unit of production remained to be
the family; this limited the division of labor and also hindered the
development of science and technology.
COLONIAL ECONOMY
The colonial economy refers to all production and
consumption activities found in Africa during the colonial
period. The Second World War which took place between 1939 and 1945
had a significant impact on the capitalist powers and they spent huge sums of
money financing the war, it is estimated the loss of Second World War was $
13,849,000,000.
The
destruction of the capitalist economies forced the European powers to introduce
various changes in the colonial economy.
Conolonial
economy was anchored on five important sectors namely:-
(i) AGRICULTURE
(ii) MINING
(iii) PROCESSING INDUSTRIES
(iv) COMMERCE
(v) TRANSPORT
1. AGRICULTURE:
The main aim of colonial agricultural policy was to
promote the production of cash crops for export, to feed the industrial of the
metro Politician states, integrate the Africans into capitalist system through
growing cash crops in which they wail sell, stimulate capital investment and maximization
of pro by buying African crops at low prices and paying to wages.
Three
types of Agriculture were established namely settle economy, plantation
economy, and peasant economy
1. PEASANT AGRICULTURE ECONOMY
This involved the small – scale production of cash
crops by individuals for purpose of coming cash and providing food for survival
colonial rule.
The peasant and cash crop forms of agriculture were
area transferring part of subsistence farming to the cash sector but the create
part of the pre-colonial system of product social control unchanged.
In Ghana, Ivory Coast and western Nigeria, the British
colonial administration wanted the peasant to devote much of their time and
energy to the cultivation of cocoa and coffee.
CHARACTERISTICS OF PEASANT AGRICULTURE:
(i) It was based on land units which were very
small bed of the big are as being directly populated
(ii) There were individual ownership of
land
(iii) There were intercropping in order to
maintain various and cash crops at the same time
(iv) Elementary tools such as hoes and
arrows were used as instruments of labour.
(v) There was hardly any use of scientific
methods of farming.
FACTORS THAT FAVORED PEASANT AGRICULTURE:
(i) Dense population made it difficult for
land alienation to be used. Hence, settler and plantation agriculture
impossible
(ii) Centralized Kingdom proved to be tough
on the establishment settler agriculture
(iii) There was always a labour supply problem when
the economy favored only one crop.
(iv) Peasant agriculture was cheaper in the
production of materials and settlers needed big capital, land, modern equipment
SETTLER ECONOMY:
This involved production by foreigners. These
foreigners usual presented the interests of the metropole (i.e. their main
interest were mining and agriculture in the colonized countries).
The promotion of agricultural production was to go
hand in hand with white settlements in Africa, especially in those areas that
were fertile.
Settlers settled in big numbers in central Africa
(Malaysia, Zambia, Zimbabwe), South Africa, parts of French equatorial Africa,
French West Africa, and in East Africa (Kenya).
FEATURES
OF SETTLER ECONOMY:
(i) Land alienation with differently issue
land ordinaries, in 1900 the land occupation ordinance was enacted in Zambia.
The ordinance required that Europeans who had been
allocated land must occupy and use that land or otherwise they would pay taxes
for leaving such land redundant.
In Kenya in 1597, the land regulation office set
as vacant land for European settlements, in 1902, the owner land ordinance
allowed the commissioner to sell or give crown land to the Europeans, and large
scale land alienation in Kikuyu began.
(ii) Forced labour: The French, German
land Portuguese follow a similar policy of forced labour and unpaid labour.
Forced labour was required to reduce costs that were
needed in public services. In Zimbabwe in 1897, the Nature egulation Act was
passed, forcing African chiefs to produced labourers at law coast.
(iii) Taxation: the hut tax was introduced in
Malawi in early 1890 in Zimbabwe in 1898, and in Zambia in 1900. In Kenya the
Hut Tax was introduced in 1980, and poll tax in 1910.
The intention of the tax was to cover administrative
expansion ways by which Africans would be forced to work in European farms and
mines in order to raise money to pay their taxes.
(iv)Migrant labour were transported from far away
places to work in settler plantations.
(v) The development of infrastructures to serve the
settlers.
1.PLANTATION
AGRICULTURE
i) Was a very distinctive from of
cultivation in which specialized commercial crops were grown.
ii) It employed large of number of unskilled
lobourers who more brought to supervise and work. On the other hand, plantation
agriculture extended monoculture during colonialism.
iii) In West Africa, French settlers owned
Senegal groundnuts and cocoa farms. German settlers owned Dohomey palm oil and
the fire stone Rubber Company of the U S A opened its plantation in Liberia in
1926. The other plantation in Tog were owned by the German and other in Ghana
and Nigeria were owned by the British.
iv) In east Africa, Kenyan tea, pyrethrum
and effect were owner by British seltters. Sisal plantation in Tanga and
Morogoro are owned by Germans and sugarcane plantation in Uganda were owned by
the Indians (mujidival).
v) In Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia, plantations
were by the British while in Mozambique and Angola plantations were owned by
the Portuguese.
CHARACTERISTICS OF PLANTATION AGRICULTURE
i. They were larger estates covering over 100 acres
each
ii. Production was mainly for export and market
oriented
iii. The government ensure a constant supply of cheap
laborer, they needed intensive labour
iv. Plantation were scientifically- managed
and involved the use of machine and fertilizer for qualitative and
quantitatives out put to meet the demands of the metropole.
v. Larger land was needed for commercial
agriculture. This was led to land alienation
2. MINING
i) Mining was very important and one
the pillars of the colonial economy, it accelerated the exploitation of Africa
ii) In West Africa there were coal
mines at Enugu, tin mines in jos plateau in Northern Nigeria and gold mines in
Ghana, Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone and Silver in sierra leone
iii) In central Africa, there was gold and coal
in southern Rhodesia, copper, tin, zinc and lead in the Belgian congo, copper
and leadin Zambia and diamond and oil in Angola
iv) In East Africa, there was
diamond in mwadui , gold in Geita and Musoma (Tanganyika) and copper in kilembe
(Uganda)
3.
TRADING COMPANIES.
i) Under colonial rule, there emerged many companies
that claimed to import and export goods into and out from African colonies,
some were huge companies some were petty companies and some were fake companies
but all of them come to exploit African resources. ii) Among these were very
big companies including.
- Companies
franchise Afriques occidental (C.T.A.O)
- Socrete
commercial Quest African (S.C.Q.A)
- The United
African Company (U.A.C)
- Ronrho
iii) In East Africa
- Smith maokenzie
(ascothah Company of maennon)
- Ralli
Brothers
- Leslie and
Anderson - Broke Bond iv) These companies were responsible for
expatriating great amounts of wealth from Africa
v) Many of these companies started during
the slave, They engaged in the following works:
- They bought raw
material cheaply in Africa and exported
- They insured
the property of the seltters.
- They imported
manufacture goods.
- They invested
in mines and plantations.
A) CHANGES IN COLONIAL AGRICULTURE
Colonial
agriculture was the main sector of the colonial economy so as to produce cash
crops that were needed as raw materials by the capitalists
industries. Emphasis was laid on the production of cash crops and
not food crops.
The changes in colonial agriculture
included the following:-
(i) . Establishment of progressive master
farmers.
The
colonial state introduced progressive farmers under peasant agriculture; these
farmers are given modern farming tools, loans and could hire
labor. The main goal of the colonial state was to increase the
production of cash crops.
(ii) . Introduction of agricultural
development schemes and plans.
This
is where there was introduction of scientific methods of agriculture; these
included terracing schemes in the hilly areas to avoid soil erosion, restocking
so as to increase animal husbandry and modernization and a forestation to keep
soil fertility and prevent soil erosion.
(iii) . Introduction of agricultural
experiments in the colonies.
The
goal of the agricultural experiments was to introduce new cash crops for
example there was introduction of groundnuts to solve the problem of edible oil
in Europe, palm oil was introduced in Kongwa, Nachingwea and Urambo.
(iv) .Setup of settlement schemes.
This is where the colonial state was shifting farmers
to fertile places so as to avoid more room for cash crop
production. All the fertile land in pre–colonial Africa was supposed
to be subjected to cash crop production.
(v) Development of state farms.
The
colonial state introduced state farms so as to reduce its dependence on
subsidies from the metro-pole. These farms were supposed to generate
revenue that was needed to run the colonial administration. State
farms were very common in French colonies in West Africa.
THE FAILURE OF COLONIAL AGRICULTURAL
REFORMS
Some
of the reforms that were carried out by the colonial state failed to meet their
expected goals, they failed due to various reasons:-
(i) Existence of poor
soils.
Some
of the land chosen for those agricultural reforms was not suitable for cash
crop production thus leading to low yields. Yet the colonialists
wanted to maximize agricultural output.
(ii) Poor administration.
Most
of these agricultural projects were run by ex-soldiers who did not have the
expertise to fully manage them. The absence of skilled personnel
contributed greatly to the failure of the projects.
(iii) Opposition from the natives.
The
establishment of agricultural reforms faced resistance from the natives; these
schemes were viewed by the natives as ways of exploiting
them. Various riots and strikes were staged against the schemes thus
contributing to their failure.
(iv) Poor planning.
Most
of the schemes collapse because of poor planning. The groundnuts
scheme in Tanganyika collapsed because little time was taken to assess the
suitability of the land chosen.
(v) Inadequate funds.
Most of the project wanted large sums of money which
were not available especially after the Second World War. Inadequate funds
hindered the successful implementation of the agricultural projects.
INTRODUCTION OF MASTER FARMING SYSTEM
(PROGRESSIVE FARMINGSYSTEM)
Master
farming system was done by making African peasants to become involved in
intensive production of raw materials.
OBJECTIVES UNDER MASTER FARMING SYSTEM
1. Selection
of few African peasants to be developed by giving them assistance like
technical assistance in the processes involved in agricultural production.
2. Provision
of labor, capital and fertilizers to African farmers in order to produce raw
materials, the reason behind was to attract others to engage in production of
raw materials.
3. Encourage
more Africans to grow cash crops because African peasants were given low prices
and the cost of production was low.
4. Creation
of model farmers in order to influence others to grow more cash crops,
5. Introduction
of agricultural schools and agricultural production of raw materials. For
example Ukiriguru in Mwanza, Amboni-Tanga, Uyole in Mbeya, Lindi.etc. All these
aimed at getting agricultural extension officers who could provide advice to
African farmers on how to grow cash crops.
6. Introduction
and expansion of cooperative farmers (union). For example KNCU (Kilimanjaro
Native Cooperative Union), Nyanza.etc in order to advice more farmers to
produce raw materials and to fix the prices of African agricultural crops.
7. Destocking
schemes were adopted in African colonies in order to make Africans to
concentrate on production of raw materials only and not on cattle keeping. For
example in Sukuma land and Mburu land (Maasai).
8. Production
policy was adopted by colonialists in African colonies where by Africans were
invited to live in more productive areas and concentrate in production of raw
materials. For example in sukuma land, more farmers were forced and invited to
live in Geita which allowed production of more cotton.
OBJECTIVES OF THE CHANGES IN COLONIAL
AGRICULTURE
1. It
was aimed at getting agricultural extension offices that could help African to
produce raw materials for the
2. It
aimed to provide agricultural education to African peasants hence more
agricultural schools and colleges were built in several African areas.
Therefore the colonial education helped the colonialist to get Africans who
were able to mobilize their fellow Africans and provide agricultural expert
advice to Africans in order to increase production of raw materials.
3. It
aimed at increasing production of raw materials through giving Africans
agricultural knowledge on better ways of practicing agriculture.
4.It
aimed at conducting researches which necessitated the production of various
agricultural raw materials and testing agricultural crops. Example the
agricultural research helped the colonialists to know where some crops were in
the right location for planting a particular type of crop example; Sisal in
Tanga, Cotton in Sudan and Palm oil in Nigeria.
5. It
aimed to get African labor that could help the colonialist to produce more cash
crops needed in the capitalist industries for their own development.
6.
It aimed to get more and large land from Africans for agricultural production.
7.
It aimed to get areas for investment, More areas in African colonies were
needed for European investment due to the fact that the capital accumulated
from agricultural production was to be invested in other economic sectors such
as financial institutions, industries, trade and
commerce.etc.
EFFECTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL REFORMS IN
AFRICA
The
implementation of the agricultural schemes in Africa had a great impact.
1.
The schemes contributed the introduction of classes among the
farmers. Under peasant agricultural there was creation of a group of
farmers known as progressive or masters farmers who were given loans by the
colonial state and could hire labor and on the other hand there were peasants
who were not given any of these privileges by the colonial state.
2.
The schemes contributed to class consciousness among the
peasants. The peasants produced various products which they sold to
the colonial state, but the colonial state bought them at very low
prices. The exploitation to which the peasants were subjected
contributed to the rise of class consciousness.
3. There
were various riots and strikes by the natives in the various
colonies. The low prices at which the colonial states were buying
the products contributed to the outbreak of various riots and strikes.
4.
The schemes have contributed to making the agricultural sector to be the
backbone of the economy in Africa. It should be noted that the
colonial state did not make attempts to mechanize agriculture; this is why the
agricultural sector is still backward.
5.
The schemes contributed to increase in the volume of exports to the
metropolitan countries which enabled them to reconstruct their economies that
had been devastated by the Second World War.
6.
The schemes contributed to environmental degradation which was due to over
utilization of land. The colonialist wanted to receive their
economies that had been destroyed by Second World War thus they had to utilize
African land to the maximum which depleted the resources.
7. There
was increase in industrialization on the form of processing industries which
aimed at reducing the weight of raw materials to keep freight charges
low. These industries solidified the linkage between the colonies
and the colonial powers because the processed products had to be taken and the
finishing industries were located at Europe.
8.
The schemes contributed to the emergence of a commercial group, these were the
middlemen such as the Indians in East Africa and Lebanese in West Africa. These
middlemen brought products from the peasants at low prices and sold them to the
colonial state at high prices.
B. THE COLONIAL INDUSTRIAL
SECTOR
The
industrial sector was the smallest of all the sectors of the colonial economy.
It should be noted that before the First World War. These were the only
processing industries that aimed of reducing the weight of raw materials to
keep the Freight charges low.
The
examples of these industries were the cotton and coffee ginneries.
After
the Second World War the capitalist powers established import substitution
industries, there were industries that produced goods which were formerly
imported from Europe.
Import substitution industries.
There were industries that were formed by the
capitalist powers to produce goods that will replace the ones imported from
Europe. The main goal of these industries was to produce consumer
goods mainly for the white settlers and few Africans, African civil servants;
these goods included soap, cigarettes, and tooth paste.
Features of import
substitution industries:-
(a) Light industries.
-
All the import substitution industries were light industries. They avoided the
establishment of heavy manufacturing industries so as to ensure that they
create competition with goods coming from Europe.
(b) .Production of consumer goods.
The
import substitute industries were based on the production of consumer goods
such as biscuits, soap and cigarettes. These industries were
producing goods for the bourgeoisie (capitalist) and a few African petty
bourgeoisie's. The industries were not producing goods for the
African masses.
(c). Labor intensive.
The
industries were using labor intensive technology. They used more labor than
machines. The colonialists were relevant to import advanced technology, because
their goal was to exploit African resources.
(d) .Uneven distribution.
The
industries were unevenly distributed; they were mainly located in urban centers
where most of the white settlers were found. The industries were
producing goods for the white settlers.
(e). Owned by foreigners.
These
industries aimed at exploiting African resources to the maximum so as to
generate more profits for the capitalists.
CHANGES IN COLONIAL LABOR POLICIES.
Colonial
labor refers to African labor force used by colonialists in their colonial
economic sectors like in Agriculture, mining, trade and commerce, industrial
sector etc. During the colonial period i.e. soon after the second world war
(1939-1945). The colonialists emphasized on large quantity of raw materials and
export commodities in the colonies so as to help the colonialists in economic
recovery program in their metropolitan countries. In order to attain these
demands, the colonialists were forced to adapt new labor policies in the
colonies hence the post war period experienced effective mobilization and
utilization of African labor .
The following techniques
and mechanisms were used.
1. Rehabilitation
and creation of infrastructure system in the colonies. There was introduction
of railway harbor and parts were constructed and rehabilitation in African
colonies from the coastal areas to the interior where African laborers and
producers of raw materials were found or lived.
2.
Improvement of working condition in plantation and mining areas. This was done
by the colonialists in order to motivate African laborers to move in mining and
plantation areas to offer their labor power. This ensured a constant supply of
migrant labor. For example, there was improvement of wage labor, provision of
social services, shortening working hours.
3. Consolidation
of labor recruiting agencies in the colonies, this was done in order to ensure
a constant supply of labor in the colonies for agricultural production of raw
materials, mining production and construction of infrastructure system like
roads, ports and harbor.etc. For example we had WENELA in central Africa which
recruited African labor from southern Rhodesia to South Africa in order to
ensure labor power.
4.
Assignment of special duties, quotas and other working conditions in different
colonies. For Example peasants were assigned different duties, quotas per
season in order to make African peasants fully involved in colonial production
of raw materials and add more volumes of raw materials needed in hungry
industries in Europe like in cotton growing region each family in those areas
was required to cultivate at least 3 acres of cotton per season.
5.
Local rulers were required to recruit a specific number of laborers in their
areas of control per annum. This mechanism enabled the colonizer to utilize
full African labor for advantage of European colonialist in their plantation
and mines and other economic sectors.
6.
Introduction of taxation; where the colonialists introduced different taxes in
African colonies in order to force Africans to offer their labor power in
European plantation, mines and other economic sector e.g. different taxes as it
was in Kenya; there was Matiti, head, property, taxes etc. forced Africans to
offer their labor power in settler economy.
7. Enactment
of different labor laws by colonialists in different African colonies the
colonialists enacted different labour laws which forced Africans to get
involved in production of raw materials needed by the colonialist in their
countries for their development.
8. Land
alienation where by Africans were alienated from their fertile land
and pushed to unproductive areas in order to make Africans to continue offering
their labor power in plantations, mining etc.
CHANGES IN COLONIAL TRANSPORT AND
COMMUNICATION (COLONIALINFRASTRUCTURE)
Colonial
transport and communication refers to all transport and communication
established by colonialists in African continent during colonial period in
order to meet their interests (demand). These infrastructures include colonial
railway, ports, airports and harbors and telecommunication networks.
Therefore after the second world war the
colonial infrastructure change in order to get and increase their demands in
colonies and in metropolitan countries.
Changes which were made
1. Introduction
and expansion of roads; where different roads in African colonies. Example the
feeder roads were introduced, introduction of tarmac roads which were expanded
to the interior of African countries to collect raw materials and transport
laborers from labor reserve areas to the working stations., Introduction of
rehabilitation of roads which was introduced even before the second world war.
2. Introduction
and expansion of ports and harbor in African colonies where by new ports and
harbors were introduced and others were rehabilitated in order to meet
colonialists demand in African colonies.
3. Introduction
and expansion of railways in order to meet European demands. After the Second
World War the colonialists made some changes in railway where by new railways
were introduced and others were rehabilitated for the aim of transporting
laborers, raw materials and colonial administrative officers and coercive
apparatus.
4. Expansion
of telecommunication networks in African colonies purposely for providing
information on how to produce raw materials and layout administrative matters
within African colonies.
5. Introduction
of airports in colonies so as to facilitate movement of people such as
transportation for administrators and information from metropolitan countries
to African colonies.
OBJECTIVES (AIM) OF THE CHANGES OF COLONIAL
INFRASTRUCTURE
1.
To transport raw materials from production areas to the harbours where they are
later shipped to metropolitan countries to feed European industries. In
addition some raw materials were transported from the interior where they were
produced to the main roads by using feeder roads where they are transported to
the ports for being shipped to metropolitan countries.
2.
To Transport colonial officers and administrators between urban areas to
supervise production of raw materials.
3.
To transport colonial African laborers especially the migrant laborers who were
working under contracts from labor reserve areas to productive areas to offer
cheap labor in plantations and mines.
4. To
transport and import coercive apparatus forces such as police and army to seize
resistance in productive areas when resistance occurs so that production is not
interfered. Resistances such as MAUMAU resistance in Kenya.
5.To
transport manufactured goods after being imported in African
colonies; these imported manufactured commodities were transported to the
market areas for example they transported to the productive areas (interior)
where most Africans lived hence goods like clothes, food, agricultural
tools were distributed to the European settlers. European
administrators and to African laborers by using colonial infrastructure.
6. These
colonial infrastructures aimed to facilitate communication from one area to
another area either of the same colony or different colony in order to make
easy ruling of the colonies.