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Nigeria The Colonial Period
Colonies such as Nigeria became part of British
imperial
expansion that focused on exploiting raw materials,
minerals, and
foodstuffs important to Western industrial development.
Britain
tried to encourage tropical export crops in Nigeria and to
stimulate demand there for British manufactured goods. The
colonies built a railroad network between the 1890s and
World War
II, and constructed roads at an accelerating rate after
the
1930s. These developments, along with the introduction of
the
pound sterling as the universal medium of exchange,
encouraged
export trade in tin, cotton, cocoa, groundnuts, and palm
oil.
Britain maintained its economic hegemony over the colonies
through military power, strategic alliances, and the
collaboration of indigenous rulers.
Data as of June 1991
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