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THE ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF AN INDEPENDENT ERITREA

ARAIA TSEGGAI, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Abstract

The central question of the dissertation is: If and when Eritrea achieves independence, will it be economically viable? This major question was studied in the light of background information on Eritrea and the history of its struggle for independence. A survey of the geo-political factors that gave rise to the present conflict were briefly summarized. The colonial economic history, out of which arose the duality of the Eritrean economy, was examined. Special emphasis was given to the era of Italian colonialism when the basic infrastructural changes in the Eritrean economy were undertaken. The British caretaker role of the economy after 1941 showed the deterioration of the economy due to Britain's economic policies of maintaining the economic 'status quo' in Eritrea. The Ethiopians, who followed the British, employed differing economic policies before, during, and after they annexed Eritrea to their Empire. Pertinent factors to economic viability, such as the size of the country, its location, the types and amount of natural and human resources, the maturity of the infrastructure and the economic institutions, foreign trade potentials, prospects for agricultural transformation and its impact on industrial development, and finally, the role of foreign investment and international aid programs in economic development were explored to see how they affect the economic viability of small nations like that of Eritrea. Once the relevant factors were identified, the next stage of the study dealt with applying the economic analysis to the realities of the Eritrean economy. Eritrea's economic potentials--especially its agricultural possibilities, its vast mineral wealth, its strategic location, and its relatively developed infrastructural base--would make its economy quite viable if and when it achieves independence.

Subject Area

Economics

Recommended Citation

TSEGGAI, ARAIA, "THE ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF AN INDEPENDENT ERITREA" (1981). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI8124524.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI8124524

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