British West Africa in 1957-1960

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Nigeria
Sierra Leone
Gambia
The British Gold Coast
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

The British West Africa was a general name used to refer to the list of countries which were under the British rule of colonialism. This could also infer those West African countries that were under the effective occupation of Britain after the concept of spheres of influence was completely enacted by the rival colonial powers. The British West Africa was under the colonial administration of United Kingdom.

This essay paper quantitatively investigates those countries that were under Britain in West Africa from 1957 to 1960 and the likely impacts within three-year occupation.

Nigeria

To begin with, it is imperative to note that Britain had already stamped its authority in West Africa even before 1957(Jones par.5). For instance, Nigeria was under colonial rule close to sixty years. The rule applied by the Britons was indirect rule because the colonial masters administered through proxy African chiefs for the sole reason of evading direct confrontation from African resistance.

In order to ease administration of the territory which was overwhelmingly vast, the British Government overseas subdivided the region into smaller manageable states and Lugard was very instrumental in the British jurisdiction of Nigeria. Towards the end of 1950s, Nigeria began gaining political stability. In fact, a prime minister’s seat was created while some parts of Nigeria namely the East and West were granted some form of autonomy. The year was 1957. Further self rule spread throughout the country and total independence became a reality in the last quarter of 1960.

Sierra Leone

According to Frank (394), Sierra Leone was one of the West African Countries which attracted European invasion during the pre-colonial era. It experienced one of the earliest European invasions in West Africa. The British declaration and occupation of Sierra Leone did not pass without stiff resistance from Africans. For example, the 1951 constitutional amendments called for a speedy decolonization process. In the course of struggle, “Sir Milton Margai was appointed Chief Minister” (Frank 366), a position he held until the conclusion of law reform negotiations in 1960. Later, Sierra Leone attained its independence in 1961.

Gambia

The demarcation of Gambian territorial borders took effect way back in 1894 and thereafter pronounced as an oversea district of the British colony. Jones (par. 6) observes that in spite of the widespread African opposition to the establishment of British colonial system, the whole of Gambia was eventually taken over by Britain as a colony. However, the mid 1950s witnessed the formation and solidification of African administrative structures like the legislative council which relentlessly spearheaded the road to independence in 1965.

The British Gold Coast

The Gold Coast which later came to be known as Ghana was a fierce fighting ground among European powers who were keenly interested with reaping the benefits of free labor force from West Africa (Frank 376). Moreover, this coastal country was endowed with ample gold resources which equally proved to be a bone of contention among the Europeans. A major territorial merger took place prior to her independence in 1957.

Conclusion

The British West Africa referred to those countries that were under the colonial rule of Britain. They included Cameroon and Gold Coast which later became Ghana after independence. Besides, TogoLand which was originally not part of the British sphere of influence was eventually merged with Gold Coast to form a single colony. Other members were Sierra Leone, Gambia, and Nigeria. Their proximity to one another enhanced administrative work by the colonial master.

Works Cited

Frank, Claude George. The Rise of British West Africa. London: Cass and Company ltd.1968. Print

Jones, Jim. “The British in West Africa.” West Chester University, 2010. Web.

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