Decolonising Barclays Bank DCO? Corporate Africanisation in Nigeria, 1945-69

Stephanie Decker

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)419-440
Number of pages22
JournalJournal of Imperial and Commonwealth History
Volume33
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2005

Bibliographical note

This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in Decker, S. (2005). Decolonising Barclays Bank DCO? Corporate Africanisation in Nigeria, 1945-69. Journal of imperial and Commonwealth history, 33(3), 419-440. Journal of imperial and Commonwealth history © 2005 Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/03086530500185894

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