Underlying Forces and Influences

This chapter treats of certain underlying forces and influences in the West African economies of special relevance to this study. The selected aspects are the impact of the money economy and of its recent and rapid growth; the imperfect specialization of economic activity; the low level of certain productive resources, especially of capital; and the unemployment of unskilled general workers. These have been chosen because an understanding of the phenomena is fundamental to an appreciation of the trading situation in West Africa.