Africa, Tropical Timber, Turfs, and Trade

This book examines development issues, particularly spatial integration, in Sub-Saharan Africa regarding its tropical timber trade, and the related formal-informal operational turf creation, control and dynamics. Focusing primarily on Ghana, Owusu examines the scramble to control the timber trade by various political and socio-economic interests, from the colonial to the neo-liberal era. In relation to this, Owusu documents the structural and organizational changes that have occurred in the region resulting from national and international development policies, such as modernization and neo-liberal structural adjustment on industrialization and development, and assesses the roles played by powerful international organizations such as The World Bank as agents of economic change. The discussion is couched in the critical but often unrecognized or neglected role the discipline of geography and its associated perspectives play in relation to examining and understanding the unequal relationship between the advanced and developing economies, and how that relationship affects development and trade behavior of developing economies. The core argument made regarding this relationship is tied to the structuralist perspective that Africa’s persistent underdevelopment problem is rooted in the very structure of its political economy. Based on the discussion, Owusu identifies and distills lessons from Ghana’s experience for Development policy and practice in Africa and comparable Developing countries in the 21st Century.

Owusu’s book addresses an urgent need for in-depth studies of the commercial forestry industry in Africa. His incisive analysis demonstrates how Ghana’s domestic forest-based economy was undermined and its forest resource base depleted as a result of structural adjustment policies that targeted forests as a quick-fix “cash cow” for debt repayment., Using the timber industry and its role in national development, this book critically discusses the paradox of Africa’s underdevelopment in the midst of her abundant natural resources.  It is comprehensive in its scope and serves as an important resource and reference material on the exploitation of Africa’s tropical timber resources and trade, and the implications for national development. It discusses the role of development theories, geographical concepts of space, colonialism, imperialism and informal economies in the timber industry’s changing markets. In this regard, the book fills an important gap that has not been addressed in Africa’s development literature., Owusu’s book contributes to our understanding of the dynamics, processes and relations pertaining to tropical forests and timber sectors in Africa and, particularly, raises our awareness of the impact of SAPs and the role of international economic processes and powers in contributing to shaping forest policy choices

J. Henry Owusu is a development geographer and an associate professor at the Geography Department, University of Northern Iowa.