I have an interesting "theory" as to why West African countries/companies struggle to have large scale industries with international subsidiaries l outside of West Africa, at least, in comparison to their Southern African counterparts. Thread. https://twitter.com/DoubleEph/status/1290381374084579329

Of course, it's a theory/observation, not an empirical study, hence, subject to inadequacies, bias etc. Furthermore, the theory might not be the "sole" and only answer to this predicament! It might be part of the reasons.

The theory, of course, has part of its roots in the method of colonialisation used in both regions. Despite its abhorrent nature, the transatlantic slave trade shows that West African territories were adept in international trade situations long before their Southern African...

... counterparts. In fact, before the slave trade, West African territories traded with Northern African/Arab region. Then came colonialism, especially the British.

The British employed a system that thrives on keeping anglophone West African territories production of export commodities and natural products at small scale level. Why? Your guess is as good as mine. Perhaps for power & administration purposes. Who knows?

As a result, West African economies were never introduced or perhaps in proper context allowed to master and thrive on full large-scale production adept for international trade. You may even say they were denied the benefit of proper "industrialisation".

On the other hand, in the same period, Southern African territories were enjoying a boom of mining as well agricultural production at a large scale industrial level. Although, the British were also in charge in Southern African during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but..

so was the Afrikaners - descendants of Dutch, German and French hugenots protestants who understood the concept of industrial revolution(s) taking place in Europe and wanted a thriving economy for themselves in that region.

While the British could keep commodities and natural products production at small scale in their West African colonies perhaps for political reasons, they couldn't perpetuate the same in Southern Africa because they didn't have unchallenged political and economic power...

.. in Southern Africa as they do in West Africa(google anglo-boer war). The effect is that Southern African economies was thriving on building large mining conglomerate (google the Randlords) and industrialised commercial farming at a scale West African economies were not.

The legacy of not building large scale conglomerates in West Africa territories most likely affected the business culture of today's anglophone West African countries. When you look at indigenous African companies with large scale presence across the continent and beyond..

you will notice they are mostly Southern African (especially South Africa) companies. West African companies (apart from those in the financial sectors) often struggle to scale at the same large industrial level even within West African countries/economies.

Some may argue that it boils down to economy policies of the (successive and current) governments. Well, it does, but those policies are often, and sadly, still a reflection and maintenance of respective colonial legacies. In Southern Africa, where a country like Zimbabwe...

attempted to shift away from colonial legacies in its commercial farming sector, for instance, it suffered deep economy plunge. Now the merit of such attempt is not the subject of this thread.

Shoprite, Multichoice (subsidiary of Naspers), MTN and other Southern African

conglomerates are partly a legacy of a system that is adept at creating and managing large scale industries/production introduced by a culmination of the efforts of European powers and descendants, maintained first by an apartheid state and now a black democratic government.

West African companies/economies/industry do not have that "privilege" or legacy.

Oh.. The screenshot of that page is from Chapter 8 (British West Africa and Liberia) of The Cambridge History of Africa (Vol 7)1905 - 1940.