Giorgio Chiovelli, U Montevideo

Paper: Private Colonialism in Africa

Abstract: In this study, we introduce the Atlas of Colonial Capitalism, documenting the pervasive role of private concessionary companies in Sub-Saharan Africa from 1884 to independence. We document that African colonization was often a bottom-up process, driven by private investors seeking profit opportunities. Drawing on archival material, administrative records, company reports, maps, and secondary sources, we assemble a georeferenced catalog covering more than 2,000 companies in 42 Sub-Saharan African countries. The concessionary paradigm was widespread across colonial powers and over time, yet highly heterogeneous in scale, sector, violence, extraction, and investment. Decomposing the drivers of concessionary activity and its practices reveals the importance of colonial powers, ethnic attributes, the disease environment, but also that of the product characteristics. We then link historical concession exposure and company practices to contemporary local and regional outcomes to trace the long-run legacy of private colonial rule. This study offers a new framework for understanding the evolution of colonial business history on the continent and its legacy for African economic development today.