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Chinese Aid and African Development pp 61–100Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

The State and Agriculture in West Africa

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Part of the book series: International Political Economy Series ((IPES))

Abstract

Rice shortages are a frequent problem in West Africa. During one of my visits to Sierra Leone, newspaper headlines screamed the panic and anger felt by local residents: ‘Rice … Rice … Rice … Everywhere, Yet Not a Single Grain to See to Buy. There Will NEVER be an End to our Rice “WAHALA” in This Country!’1 In Sierra Leone and the rest of rice-dependent West Africa, rice supplies are a highly political issue, and thus rice projects like China’s have both economic and political importance.

The development of agriculture is an urgent problem facing the developing nations. If this problem is not solved, the developing countries can achieve little progress.

Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang, 1983

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Notes

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of International Service, American University, Washington, DC, USA

    Deborah Bräutigam

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© 1998 Deborah Bräutigam

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Bräutigam, D. (1998). The State and Agriculture in West Africa. In: Chinese Aid and African Development. International Political Economy Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230374300_4

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