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Research ArticleArticle

The Economic Potentials of Northern Ghana

The Ambivalence of the Colonial and Post-Colonial States to Develop the North

ALI YAKUBU NYAABA and GEORGE M. BOB-MILLIAR
African Economic History, January 2019, 47 (2) 45-67; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/aeh.47.2.45
ALI YAKUBU NYAABA
Ali Yakubu Nyaaba (), Department of History and Political Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi
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GEORGE M. BOB-MILLIAR
George M. Bob-Milliar (), Department of History and Political Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi.
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Abstract

The colonial history of neglect frames the development narrative of northern Ghana. Postcolonial critics emphasized the conscious neglect by the British imperial power and to some extent the post-colonial state. This paper seeks to deconstruct the narratives of the “blame-game,” by highlighting the economic potentials of the region, the contradictory policy positions of the colonial state and the ambivalence of post-colonial state. We argue that the “rule of colonial difference” birthed by the imperial power has guided the postcolonial state’s interventions in northern Ghana. The rule of difference allowed the British to categorize the region as backward and inferior in relation to other zones—especially the southern part of the Gold Coast colony. Consequently, the region served as a “labor reserve” to support production in the colonial economy in the south. The history of economic development in the zone was characterized by false starts, duplication and under-investment. This has left the economy of the North lagging behind the “south,” in terms of socio-economic development.

  • © 2019 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System
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African Economic History: 47 (2)
African Economic History
Vol. 47, Issue 2
1 Jan 2019
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The Economic Potentials of Northern Ghana
ALI YAKUBU NYAABA, GEORGE M. BOB-MILLIAR
African Economic History Jan 2019, 47 (2) 45-67; DOI: 10.3368/aeh.47.2.45

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The Economic Potentials of Northern Ghana
ALI YAKUBU NYAABA, GEORGE M. BOB-MILLIAR
African Economic History Jan 2019, 47 (2) 45-67; DOI: 10.3368/aeh.47.2.45
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  • Article
    • Abstract
    • Introduction
    • Explaining Colonialism in Peripheral Regions
    • The Nexus between Natural Resource Utilization and Economic Development
    • Historical Explanations of Underdevelopment in Post-Colonial Africa
    • Colonial Legacy: The North-South Economic Fissure in Ghana
    • Post-Independence Governments Effort to Bridge the North-South Development Gap
    • The Economic Potentials of Northern Ghana: Evidence from the Colonial Period
    • Conclusion
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