What are the Roles played by Chartered Companies in colonization of Africa.

Roles played by Chartered Companies in colonization of Africa.

• The companies provided initial manpower for administration of British and Germany areas of influence. For instance in West Africa there were Royal Niger Company under George Goldie who preserve the entire Niger area for British and soon formed the National African Company which was amalgamation of several trading firms.

• They financed the administration in colonies on behalf of their respective home government which saved the government from unnecessary spending.

• They assisted their home government in the development of infrastructure like roads, railways, construction of administrative posts etc.

• They created security organs, which improved security and defense against African resistance.

• They provided relevant information about the economic potentiality of Africans which attracted European white settlers.

• They signed treaties with African chiefs on behalf of the colonial government like in Baganda, Ankole, Toro, Nandi and these treaties were used during the Berlin conference to claim those areas.

• They suppressed African opposition, enforced administrative law and order and recruited policies which were used to maintain internal order, peace and stability. Example GEAC employed Arabs, Swahili, Sudanese and Baganda soldiers to counteract the coastal Arabs resistance of 1888-1889.