Neo-Colonialism and Nkrumah: Recovering a Critical Concept

Abstract

Neo-colonialism refers to a situation of infringed national sovereignty and excessive influence/control exercised by foreign corporations and donors. This chapter explores this concept with reference to the writings of Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana. Engaging his major work, Neo-colonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism, the chapter argues that his concept retains relevance for an understanding of modern African ‘development’ today. This is contextualised in terms of debates about dependency theory which are often equated with writings on neo-colonialism. It is also contextualised in terms of the literature on the so-called neo-patrimonial state and the ‘governance state’ in Africa.