Problems of African Economic Development

Abstract

MY purpose in this paper is to look in very broad and necessarily rather superficial terms at the problems of economic development in Africa regarded as a whole. I shall inevitably traverse many of the problems that the Conference will consider in more detail at a later stage with the individual papers on particular topics. I suggest that the full detailed discussion of these topics be reserved for that stage. I had originally hoped that it would be possible to write this paper in the light of the many background studies that are being prepared for the Conference on the problems of development in particular countries and to draw on them for the purpose. In the event it has, to my regret, been necessary to write this before the majority of them were available. But I hope the Conference itself will make the discussion of this paper the opportunity to consider, in the light of those papers, what are the common problems of development of Africa as a whole.