ABSTRACT
Earlier chapters have indicated that, in spite of some change that did take place, the economy by and large retained its primarily agricultural and foreign trade dependent character notwithstanding endeavours by successive governments to effect fundamental structural overhaul. Within the long term growth profile the tertiary sector recorded the highest relative gains (at the expense of the commodity sector share); the manufacturing industry recorded a slight improvement in its relative share, and the agricultural sector had its contribution to the GDP substantially reduced between 1950 and 1983. In agriculture, a stagnant export crop segment alongside a food crop sector which acquired over the years a distinct growth momentum brought about a structural change within agriculture, reversing the relative contribution of the two segments in the sector total. This chapter seeks to develop plausible explanations as to why and how this development process of the past three decades took place and how the process of change was managed.
