TIE EFFECT DF GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION ON THE ECONOMIES AND POLITICS OF AFRICAN LANDLOCKED COUNTRIES: A COMPARISON BETWEEN NIGER AND UGANDA
TIE EFFECT DF GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION ON THE ECONOMIES AND POLITICS OF AFRICAN LANDLOCKED COUNTRIES: A COMPARISON BETWEEN NIGER AND UGANDA
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Date
1985-04
Authors
SAMUEL, NATHAN WAKABI KIGUWA
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Abstract
African landlocked countries have had extra problems in
their economic and political development endeavours than their
coastal weighbours. As a result their road to economic and
political maturity is far more hazardous than that of the coastal
countries surrounding them. The gravity of this problem has
been deeply felt by the entire world community and the United
Nations Organisation and its agencies have been trying to
alleviate these problems for the last twenty five years.
Indeed all these countries were classified by the United Nations
to be among the hard core least developed countries (LDC)
requiring special assistances.
It is the gravity of this problem which prompted me to do
research in this area. The significance nf the study is to
throw further light on these countries' problems and to attract
scholars to turn to this area of study so that more useful data
is collected which can them be used to find solutions to this
intricate situation All landlocked countries on the African
continent have been surveyed in chapter two. Two of them namely
Niger and Uganda were selected for special study and comparison.
Two major aspects of landlockedness have been of special
interest in this thesis. The first is the effect location has
had and is atill having on the economics of these countries.
The second aspect is thB affect location hae had and is still
having on the politics of the same countries especially the way they formulate and implement policies towards the coastal
states which saurround them. The findings show that location
inland has boon extremely detrimental to their economic progress*
Consequently they are trailing behind their coastal neighbours.
It has also boon found out that this disadvantageous location
inland has made these countries less sovereign and dependant
on their coastal neighbours for their trade overseas. This
dependence and frustration is a constant cause of friction ,
between them and their neighbours as the case of Southern
Africa has proved.
The main recommendation is that these countries should
re orientate their economies to stop depending on an export
import trade with overseas countries. Overseas trade creates
problems of transit and use of foreign ports as well as
increased expenditures in foreign currency. Aid by the
international community can do nothing to alter this sad
fact. As a matter of fact the political strings of foreign aid
aggravate rather than reduce their predicament. A policy of
self-reliance ought to be considered seriously.
Description
A Ph.D DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF
POLITICAL SCIENCE, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA,
N I G E R I A ,
APRIL, 1985.
Keywords
GEOGRAPHICAL, GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION, ECONOMIES, POLITICS, AFRICAN, LANDLOCKED, COMPARISON, NIGER, UGANDA