African rail investment enriched local markets while export cotton schemes failed

Evidence

In the Middle Niger Valley, in contrast, the railroad between Kayes and Bamako did increase commercial activity, but not in the manner the administration had hoped. Thanks to the railroad, the regional grain and cloth market expanded as local inhabitants increased production of both commodities for local consumption. Cultivation of export commodities, including cotton for which the administration and French textile manufacturers had high hopes, failed to develop. Prohibitive transportation costs kept Sudanese cotton from being competitive on the world market. — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 1364

Categorization

• XREF: Directly relevant to the reader’s interest in the ramifications of French economic policy forced on West Africa — local initiative diverted French plans.
• SEED: Angle: the ‘unintended consequences’ of colonial infrastructure — railroads benefiting local consumption over metropole-bound exports.