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

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.

TIE EFFECT DF GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION ON THE ECONOMIES AND POLITICS OF AFRICAN LANDLOCKED COUNTRIES: A COMPARISON BETWEEN NIGER AND UGANDA