This book traces the economic fortunes of Africa over ten decades that began with the partition of the continent. It is a narrative history which gathers together information not readily available elsewhere.

The economic history of 20th-century Africa has often been attributed to either the legacy of imperialism and exploitation by powerful and unscrupulous foreign business, or to hasty decolonization and ill-conceived socialism. This timely work looks well beyond these explanations to provide a balanced, in-depth investigation of Africa's economic fortunes following the partition of Africa one century ago. Neither an indictment of nor an apology for colonialism, and neither a glorification nor a critique of the post-colonial achievement, Wickins' study takes into account the pressure of changing circumstances and the evolution of opinion in and outside of Africa to help clarify the course of Africa's recent economic history.