Post #280

How Colonial-Era Infrastructure Shapes AfricaToday 🚢 In the early 1900s, European colonial powers began building railways across Africa to move soldiers deeper into the continent and extract resources for export. Although more than 60 years have passed since independence, this colonial pattern of infrastructure design still keeps many countries dependent on overseas metropoles. ➡️ Very few states have cross-border railways — a direct consequence of the partition of Africa by European empires. Today, this severely hinders trade between neighbours. For example, to transport a large shipment from Tamale to Abuja, one must first take it to the coast — load it onto a ship — send the ship to Lagos — and only then can railways be used. ➡️The geography of human settlement itself became colonial. For instance, today most of Kenya’s population lives along the line from Mombasa to Uganda, built by the British in the early 20th century, even though these areas were originally desert. As a result, large segments of the population — in Kenya and elsewhere — have become economically dependent on exports. Their wellbeing now depends on the continuation of this system. 🏭 Finally, even today, railways built from mines and plantations to the coast shape investment patterns. Who would build a serious factory in a poor, remote region, when they can open a new mining complex in an area already served by a colonial-era railway? It is a vicious cycle of endless dependence on exports. The only way to break it is to deliberately develop infrastructure across the whole country — something very few governments are willing or able to do. Devils Below