"Untold Difficulties:" The Indigenous Press and the Economic Effects of the First World War on Africans in the Gold Coast, 1914-1918

During the First World War, the British colonial government in the Gold Coast vigorously sought to maximize both human and natural resources in support of the imperial war effort. Consequently, the people of the Gold Coast, like most colonized Africans, suffered from, the wartime policies as well as the direct effects of the war.’ The Gold Coast had experienced relative economic prosperity before the outbreak of the war. Exports included cocoa, palm oil, rubber, kola, timber, and minerals. Ports, railways, and roads -were developed to exploit these and other commodities. In sum, the Gold Coast, despite the uncertainty of the colonial situation, was following a pathway towards prosperity, exemplified by economic boom and rapid urbanization. Also educational developments had paved the way for social change and social mobility. Unfortunately, the harsh wartime economic effects halted the wheels of prosperity: overall, the inhabitants of the Gold Coast experienced “untold difficulties” adjusting to wartime hardships and dislocation.