Publications
Publications
- September 2005
- Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History
Decolonising Barclays Bank DCO? Corporate Africanisation Programmes in Nigeria, 1945-1969
Abstract
The reaction of British business to the decolonisation of the Empire has been the focus of much recent research, but few studies have shed light on the continued presence of commercial activities after independence. Barclays Bank DCO in Nigeria began indigenising its staff during decolonisation, but this process was far from complete at independence. African managers at Barclays were supposed to continue British banking traditions, while the post-colonial state hoped to gain more influence on foreign investment through the Nigerianisation of management. By the time the Nigerian civil war effectively ended in 1969 Barclays was only just beginning to come to terms with the ability and "character" of its Nigerian managers while the Nigerian state was moving towards more radical policies to control foreign business. This article aims to highlight the importance of Africanisation programmes for the structure and control of a major British bank trying to adapt first to the end of Empire and then to the post-colonial world.
Keywords
International Relations; Foreign Direct Investment; Banks and Banking; Macroeconomics; Banking Industry; Great Britain; Nigeria
Citation
Decker, Stephanie. "Decolonising Barclays Bank DCO? Corporate Africanisation Programmes in Nigeria, 1945-1969." Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History 33, no. 3 (September 2005): 419–440.