COLONIAL TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION
In colonial Africa, the Europeans established many transport and communication networks. They established facilities like railways lines, harbors (sea ports) air ports, roads (truck and feeder roads) so as to facilitate the mission of colonial economy. A colony or a state without infrastructural networks is like a body without blood veins, so colonial transportation infrastructural network served as the base of colonial economy.
THE NATURE OF COLONIAL TRANSPORT SYETEM
In colonial time most of the transport system were oriented to the coast even those in the landlocked colonies. The transport systems were also oriented to the harbors of neighboring colonies.
Transportation Network in East Africa
REASONS TO WHY THEY WERE DIRECTED TOWARDS THE SEA
Extraction of raw material from the interior via the feeder roads to the truck roads of the railways then to the harbors where the materials were transported to Europe via water ways.
Transportation of manufactured goods from the sea harbors via the railway and roads to the interior of Africa.
Transportation of colonial officers from the areas especially, those who came from Europe via water ways (oceans). They were carried (transported) to various operational areas in the interior of Africa.
Transportation of native migrant labor from one point of the colony to another or outside the colony e.g. The railway line which connected South Africa and Southern Rhodesia built by BSACO.
Effective control of the colony: The infrastructures were also meant at establishing effective control of the colony. For example for surveying the territorial boundaries controlling native disputes and so on.
The airports solve the problem of reaching the areas difficult to be accessed by land roads or railways. For example the island of Mafia, Zanzibar, Cape Verde etc. which could be accessed via railways or waterways.
The port facilities were used to carry farm implements and the produced goods such as machinery, mining tools, spare parts needed for raw material production.
Management of supply of basic social service to native and foreigners, for example colonial education , colonial health services, colonial water supply, colonial military services. They relied much the presence of infrastructural networks.
