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Discuss the industrialization challenges that faced African countries in the early years of independence

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In the immediate post-independence period, African leaders differed on the strategy most likely to promote development in their countries. However, they agreed substantially over methods. The ?instrument of both diagnosis and remedy was the development Plan?. There were three options as far as development planning was concerned. The first one was the western model of development planning (also known as indicative) The western model allowed for the political economy to be shaped
by market forces with limited state interference.
The second was the socialist style of development planning (also known as centralized or imperative planning). The third was a model that adopted what appeared like a merger of the capitalist and socialist models. Thus, most countries chose to adopt centrally controlled development planning that was to operate within a mixed economy-one in which the public and private sectors played a substantial role.
Some countries however chose to follow a purely socialist model in which the state controlled the economy in terms of who produces what and in what quantities. This was applied in countries like Tanzania, Mozambique and Guinea-Conakry.
At the same time, a second challenge faced by African leaders was the stark realities confronting their peoples in the immediate post-independence period: their peoples were faced with poverty, ignorance and disease. The great challenge posed therefore was one of uplifting the standards of life for their peoples through the provision of basic needs and the creation of a favorable environment by government-one that would engender economic growth and the creation of national wealth.
The third challenge was associated with the ideological path that was to guide the development process. African countries attained political independence at a time when the international political system was strongly shaped, conditioned and divided by the Cold War. They had to choose whether to adopt the socialist ideology or adopt the capitalist ideology or even declare their support for the nonaligned movement. Most African countries chose to be non-aligned and evolved their own ideological styles under the rubric of African socialism.
Fourthly, at independence African countries inherited an economy that was mostly not indigenous to them and at the same time this economy (almost in every sector was dominated by foreign companies or firms which had operated in the colonial economy). This meant that there was a very small domestic private sector of the indigenous kind. The local populations could not raise enough financial capital to support the economy.

francis1897 answered the question on January 12, 2023 at 13:04

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Discuss the industrialization challenges that faced African countries in the early years of independence

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