Government Policy and the Nigerian Palm Oil Export Industry, 1939–49
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8979235 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Allister E Hinds, Allister Hinds (University of the West Indies System, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1997 |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 459-478 |
| Publication date | 1997-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of African History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0021-8537 • E-ISSN: 1469-5138 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0021853797007007 |
| OpenAlex | W2149204637 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
This paper examines the role of the imperial and colonial governments in the formulation of policy towards the Nigerian palm oil export industry between 1939 and 1949. It argues that for most of the war years colonial officials in Nigeria accepted that metropolitan needs and conditions should dictate policy in the oil palm produce industry. However, towards the end of the war, they began to question whether policies centred around the requirements of the metropole would preserve the future competitiveness of the industry. Thereafter, they pressed for measures which gave priority to the problems and necessities of the local industry and the colonial economy. While colonial policy was sensitive to the concerns of imperial and local government officials, for most of the period under review it was reluctant, and on occasions, unable to accommodate the measures necessary to harmonize imperial and colonial goals. Consequently, the anticipated expansion in palm oil exports failed to materialize and the future competitiveness of the industry remained in doubt. This article fills an important void in the current literature on the Nigerian palm oil export industry. To date insufficient attention has been paid to the thinking within imperial and colonial government circles which underpinned the policies adopted in the industry during World War II and the early post-war years, and which led to the failure of policy makers to achieve their objectives. Moreover, the current literature ignores the vigorous debate between the Colonial Office and the Nigerian colonial government, and among colonial government officials, over the best means by which the needs of the local palm oil industry could be reconciled with the demands of the metropole, especially between 1942 and 1949
Colonialism · Economic policy · Economics · Economy · Government (linguistics · Local government · Metropolitan area · Palm oil · Petroleum industry · Political science · World War II · African history and culture studies · Engineering · History · Law · Public Administration
Smallholders and Machines in the West African Palm Oil Industry, 1850–1950
Nigerian Oil Palm Industry, 1920–1950
The transformation of the global palm oil cluster
Nigeria and World War II
The politics of the forest frontier
Who Controls Warri? How Ethnicity Became Volatile in the Western Niger Delta (1928–52)
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,5 |
| Citation span | 2014 - 2020 (7) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 6 |