The economic theory applied to colonies (in France referred to as the Colonial pact) was that colonies must be self-supporting, must provide agricultural export crops for the imperial country and that they must buy its manufactured goods in return. The French enforced this theory firmly.

The British normally allowed their colonies to buy and sell in the best markets, though after the first world war, the British placed special taxes on palm oil going to Germany and in the 1930s excluded Japanese cotton - cloth from colonies where it was underselling her own.

Development to the colonial powers did mean industrialization for this would compete with the industries of the imperial country.

For example, when groundnut oil mills in Senegal began exports to France in 1927, they were restricted because France Oil Millers complained of the competition.

Harbours railways and roads.

Railways

Export crops and food crops

Ivory Coast became the world's third largest coffee exporter. Ghana became the world's largest producer of Cocoa followed by Yoruba and the Ivory Coast.

 Liberia's main cash crop was rubber but plantations were foreign owned.

Production of export crops led to a rise in both living standards and in government revenue for the development of ports, railways, roads and education.

In Nigeria and Ghana, profits went into education, better housing and transport lorries.

Food crops were neglected by colonial powers and rice had to be imported although it could be grown.

Mali used to produce millet but the surplus couldn't be exported to surrounding areas because of transport problem.

Only Nigeria produced both cash and food crops in a balanced manner.

Ghana, with its cocoa revenue was the wealthiest but most of the money was spent on importing foodstuff.

Poverty drove men of Mali, to the groundnut areas of Senegal on search of work.

Dahomey exported " brain power" educated sons found employment with French firms and civil service in other parts of West Africa.

Land and labour

The Rich assumed that they owned the land on their colonies by right of conquest and in 1904, they declared all vacant land state property.

In shifting cultivation economy, it is difficult to define vacant land.

The French wanted to attract settlers and encourage Africans to take out individual titles to their land.    

In British West Africa, the population was heavy and the educated elite were ready to oppose it:

Three years later, a similar bill was introduced. The elite and chiefs organized the Aborigines Rights Protection Society-to protect. A deputation was sent to England there the government was persuaded to drop the bill.

Labour: Costs for running the colonies were reduced by the use of forced and unpaid labour.

BRITISH COLONIES

The British offered wages but were too low to attract labourers. The government recruited labour through the chiefs. The chiefs there upon forced their people to work and in 1914. some of them were so hated that they were driven out of their towns,

Forced labour was justified on the basis that Africans- would not work without compulsion, and low wages on the ground that African labour regardless of its wages was unproductive

 The Senegal railway strike of 1925

 The Asante gold field strike of 1924.

 The employers usual method wac to sack all workers concerned. Wage levels were tied neither to supply and demand, nor adjust to prosperity and depression on rising and failing costs. They remained static over long period of time.

• MINING.

This was developed more in British West African large scale, first gold and iron, then coal, manganese, bauxite and diamonds began. Mining industry became the exclusive monopoly of European mining companies.

From 1S86, another change took place on West Africa: silver coins were introduced by the British which stopped barter trade.

in 1912, the West African Currency Board was set up to supply currencies to British West Africa.

The other colonial powers also introduced their own currencies into their colonies.

In view of these factors: Total neglect of industrialization, the failure to diversify the economy, the absence of control over prices by the Africans, low rents were paid by the mining companies and total absence of taxes on profits, show that the colonial period was that of economic exploitation.

Education in French West Africa was not only free but also of a better quality, a product of their assimilationfst policy.  However, there were greater facilities for education on the British colonies.

 Vaccination and inculcation were also introduced.

Effects of these developments on Africans.

The education activities led to the emergence of an African elite.

Health and living standards of people improved. European merchants dominated trade taking over the African "merchants princes".

There was an increase on the number of traditional African middlemen who applied between African cash crop producers and European firms.

Number of working class increased among Africans: private businessmen, timber contractors, building contractors private lawyers and doctors.

Since there was no internal market for cash crops like cocoa, the West African farmer became even more dependent on world market for livelihood.

The colonial powers never tried to diversify the economy due to the establishment of schools, hospitals, stores and offices on towns.

Civilization of the colonial era was essentially an urban civilization, the rural life remained untouched especially in French West Africa.

COCOA GROWING IN GHANA

Ghana's economy depended on cocoa growing during the colonial period up to independence.

It was introduced in Ghana in 1897 by Accra two brothers who brought it from Fernado po.

It developed gradually in the 19th Century.

The first export took place In 1991.

Results or importance of cocoa growing in Ghana

Therefore, the above led to improvement in transport and communication.

 Ghana became the wealthiest state in West Africa.

Development of transport and communications in Ghana

 The Accra - Kumasi line began on 1909 and was opened on 1923.

 The Huni valley Kada line was completed in 1927.

The development of railways, roads, harbours and telecommunications played a major role in the growth of Ghana's economy.

FRENCH COLONIES ECONOMIES,

Her empire was large and the population was small. Revenue was small since cash crops developed more slowly and on a smaller scale. Merchants also invested less in colonies than British merchants. Under French colonial laws, every male between 18 and 60 years of age was compelled to contribute a certain number of days of labour to the state.

Between 1927 and 1936, 15,000 men were forced to labour on the Niger Project and on railway construction project. Forced labour was not abolished until 1946 and it was one of the most hated aspects of French colonialism.

Many young men traveled from home to escape it and earn wages in Ghana on cocoa farms, to groundnut firms in Senegal. Conditions under which forced labourers worked were often very bad.

 Groundnut growing in Senegal.

Groundnuts were first planted in Senegal about 1820 as a domestic food crop.

The area under cultivation increased following the expansion of the railway.

 Groundnuts oil mills were established in Senegal and began exports to France in 1927.

Groundnut prosperity contributed to small-scale industrialization which included oil, soap etc.

In Senegal the production and export of groundnuts continued to rise between 1885 and 19 at annual average of growth of 8-8%.

In 1884 - 5 export of groundnuts reached 45,000 tons.

In good years before 1915 the figure passed 20,000 tons.