The course will survey the development of the Sub-Saharan African economies since independence. The focus will be on economic development, but aims to place the subject in its broader political, social and cultural context. The approach will be historical: starting with a brief review of the colonial inheritance, then covering the largely optimistic period to the early 1970s, moving on to the problems and stagnation of the 1980s, followed by the slow recovery of the 1990s which has accelerated in the first half of this decade. The survey will conclude by looking at where Africa is today and the prospects going forward. The course will explore key issues and themes that marked each period and try to piece together an overall story concerning where African economies have been and where they are going.