Ambe J. Njoh

Urbanization and development in sub-Saharan Africa

Data from the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Human Development Report and the World Bank’s World Development Report are employed to test the hypothesis of a positive link between urbanization and development in sub-Saharan Africa. Level of urbanization is defined as the percentage of a country’s population in cities with at least 20,000 inhabitants. Development is operationalized in terms of the human development index (HDI). Results from correlation and t-test analyses confirm the hypothesized relationship. Thus, the study shows that urbanization and development, measured in terms of the HDI are positively linked at least in the case of the sub-Saharan region.  2003 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.

Urban planning as a tool of power and social control in colonial Africa

A power theoretical framework is employed to analyse physical and spatial policies in colonial Africa. Officially, the policies were designed to accomplish public welfare goals, such as ensuring sound architectural standards and promoting the efficiency and effectiveness of the built environment. A more critical analysis reveals that the policies constituted part of a meticulous and multifarious agenda on the part of colonial powers to harness and reinforce their grip on the territories they had conquered in Africa. This article shows how planning policies found expression as instruments of power, domination and social control in urban space in colonial Africa.

Colonial Philosophies, Urban Space, and Racial Segregation in British and French Colonial Africa

British colonial authorities adhered to a philosophy of racial segregation while their French counterparts subscribed to one that segregates along socioeconomic and cultural lines. This article interrogates the rationale for these two colonial philosophies and addresses the following questions: How were these philosophies given physical expression in colonial urban space? Why did the two seemingly opposing philosophies produce identical racially segregated urban space? It is argued that although the two colonial powers had different racial philosophies, they shared common cultural, psychological, political, social, and ideological objectives that were best accomplished through racially segregated space.

TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

The study explores the relationship between transportation infrastructure and economic development in sub-Saharan Africa. Transportation infrastructure is operationalized in terms of road density per capita, whereas economic development is defined in terms of gross national product per capita. The findings support the hypothesis of a positive association between the two variables. The association is stronger for roads in good conditions—defined as roads that are free of major defects and require no more than routine maintenance—than for roads in general. The presence of an association between transportation and economic development at both the theoretical and empirical levels suggests that authorities in sub-Saharan Africa will do well to pay far more attention to the transport sector of their economies than they have done in the past.

The experience and legacy of French colonial urban planning in sub‐Saharan Africa

This paper examines the activities of French colonial authorities in the urban planning arena in sub‐Saharan Africa. It reveals that, despite the dearth of information on these activities, especially in the relevant English language literature, the French were very active in the planning field before and during their colonial era in the region. While these activities might have been intended to do no more than facilitate the attainment of French colonial development objectives, they have far‐reaching implications for contemporary development efforts. It is argued that French colonial urban designs, schemes and legislation have negative implications for urban transportation, housing, land tenure and the growth and development of urban centres vis‐à‐vis the rural areas. Problems in these areas are aggravated by the fact that post‐colonial authorities in the region have opted to inherit and vigorously enforce the planning legislation and schemes crafted by their colonial predecessors.This paper examines the activities of French colonial authorities in the urban planning arena in sub‐Saharan Africa. It reveals that, despite the dearth of information on these activities, especially in the relevant English language literature, the French were very active in the planning field before and during their colonial era in the region. While these activities might have been intended to do no more than facilitate the attainment of French colonial development objectives, they have far‐reaching implications for contemporary development efforts. It is argued that French colonial urban designs, schemes and legislation have negative implications for urban transportation, housing, land tenure and the growth and development of urban centres vis‐a‐vis the rural areas. Problems in these areas are aggravated by the fact that post‐colonial authorities in the region have opted to inherit and vigorously enforce the planning legislation and schemes crafted by their colonial predecessors.

Implications of Africa’s Transportation Systems for Development in the Era of Globalization

The paper identifies and discusses major implications of Africa’s contemporary transport infrastructure for the continent’s development in general and its active participation in the globalization process in particular. Initially it identifies and analyses major events in the evolution of the continent’s modern transport systems. It is revealed that colonial authorities did the most to develop these systems. However, because the systems were designed to facilitate the extraction and transmission of products from the continent to the colonial master nations, they are deemed incapable of enhancing the active participation of African countries in the globalization process. In an effort to reverse this situation, a number of specific steps, including increasing the stock of all-season roads, regional integration, the promotion of intermodal transport facilities, and the adoption of safety measures in the transport sector, are proposed.

Colonial spatial development policies, economic instability, and urban public transportation in Cameroon

Abstract This article addresses the implications of colonial spatial development policies and deteriorating economic conditions for urban public transportation in Cameroon. The colonial transport system was meant to facilitate the movement of essential raw materials from the hinterland to the metropolitan countries via sea; while the urban system sought to promote residential segregation along racial or class lines as well as rigidly compartmentalise land use activities. Both systems, which have been inherited by the countrys indigenous authorities, have contributed significantly to problems ranging from accentuating the cost of maintaining existing, and developing new, transportation infrastructure, to creating difficulties for intermodal coordination as a means of improving economic productivity and efficiency. It is argued that the problems have been compounded by negative trends in the countrys economy, as well as by measures adopted to reverse these trends. Steps capable of improving the performance of the countrys urban public transportation system despite the said problems are suggested.

Development implications of colonial land and human settlement schemes in Cameroon

Abstract This article analyses the implications of colonial land-use policies for contemporary development efforts in Cameroon. The discussion draws extensively, but not exclusively, on the experience of five of the countrys urban centres, Douala, Yaounde, Bamenda, Buea and Tiko, in which some of the most notorious colonial land acquisition and land-use planning schemes were implemented. It is argued that the residual effects of these schemes significantly impede contemporary development efforts, particularly in the following areas, transportation, urbanization, resource distribution, food self-sufficiency, and tradition/culture. It is concluded that, despite the tendency on the part of the post-colonial leadership to vigorously maintain these policies, they were never designed with post-colonial development endeavours in mind. Rather, they were crafted specifically to promote colonial and imperial development objectives. Therefore, post-colonial authorities will do well to enact more innovative land-use legislation in concert with prevailing socio-economic conditions and development objectives.

Continuity and change in Cameroonian land policy

This article discusses the evolution of modern land policy in Cameroon. Emphasis is placed on the land reform efforts of the country’s different colonial and post-colonial governments, especially the nature and rationale for these efforts. It is argued that while there might have been some changes in the tactics employed by the different governments, the rationale has always been the same, namely to bestow the state with as much control as possible over land. Such control is necessary to facilitate attainment of the state’s ideological, economic and political objectives. Continuity in the land reform policies is thus explained by the fact that these objectives have remained unchanged since the colonial era.

The Development Theory of Transportation Infrastructure Examined in the Context of Central and West Africa

The study sought to test the tenability of the hypothesis of a positive link between transportation infrastructure and development in the context of less developed countries (LDCs). The west and central Africa region, comprising twenty-four contiguous countries, constitutes the empirical referent. Two main forms of the generalized linear model, including zero-order and multiple regression involving natural logarithms and assuming the classic Cobb-Douglas production function, are employed. Development, the dependent variable, is operationalized in terms of the Human Development Index (HDI) and Growth National Income per capita (GNI/Cap). The independent variables include the different major forms of transportation infrastructure (roads, rail, airports, seaports, waterways, and pipelines). The results show a strong positive relationship between transportation infrastructure and development. Not only does this revelation conform to the findings of previous studies in more developed countries (MDCs), it suggests that the link between transportation infrastructure and development may actually be stronger in LDCs than in MDCs.