Write explanatory notes on any three of the following: (a) Government's influence on the location of industries in Tropical Africa (b) Nearness to market as...

Answer Details

Explanatory notes on any three of the following:

(a) Government's influence on the location of industries in Tropical Africa

Governments strongly influence where industries are sited. Through industrial policy they establish industrial estates and free-trade zones, grant incentives (tax holidays, cheap land, loans) to firms that locate in chosen areas, and provide infrastructure (roads, power, water). To reduce regional inequality they may deliberately disperse industries to less-developed regions, or site strategic industries (steel, refineries) for political and defence reasons, so factories often locate where the government directs rather than purely on economic grounds.

(b) Nearness to market as a factor of industrial location in Tropical Africa

Industries locate near their markets to cut transport costs and reach consumers quickly. This is important for weight-gaining and perishable/fragile products (soft drinks, bread, furniture) and for industries serving large urban populations. Large towns provide a big, concentrated market and purchasing power, so consumer-goods factories cluster in and around cities such as Lagos, Accra and Kano.

(c) The concentration of manufacturing industries in urban centres of developing countries

Manufacturing concentrates in a few big towns because they offer large labour supply, a big local market, better infrastructure (electricity, water, ports, roads), banking and commercial services, and government offices. Existing industries also attract others (agglomeration/linkage). This leads to over-concentration in a few cities while other regions remain industrially backward.

(d) The predominance of consumer-oriented industries in developing countries

Developing countries are dominated by light, consumer-goods industries (textiles, food and drink, soap, plastics) rather than heavy capital-goods industries. This is because they have limited capital and technology, a shortage of skilled labour, small and low-income markets that demand cheap everyday goods, and a desire to process local raw materials and reduce imports. Such industries need less capital and yield quicker returns.