Based on information collected and processed by the Colonial Economic Research Committee between 1949 and 1952, and originally published in 1954, this book examines the key features of the economies of colonial Nigeria and the Gold Coast. Influential economist Peter Bauer assesses the monopolistic tendencies inherent in West African trade structures as well as the repercussions of the colonial government's own, sometimes biased, preferences. This book will be of use to anyone interested in the economic history of West Africa and the economic effects of colonialism.