Posted by Chester Morton / Monday 5 September 2016 / No comments
The functions and powers of the Minister of the colonies in French Colonial West Africa
Introduction
The Minister of Colonies was appointed by the
French President. He was a Cabinet Minister responsible for the French Overseas
Territories. He alone, of all the colonial officials, was resident in Paris and
his main responsibility was to administer the overseas territories on behalf of
the French government.
FUNCTIONS &
POWERS
Appointment of
overseas top officials
One of the functions of the Colonial Minister was
to appoint officials of the overseas territories. Where they performed their
assigned duties well, he could promote them. He could also transfer them from
one territory to another or recall them to Paris.
Issuance of decrees
One of the features of French colonial rule was
its highly centralized structure. Therefore, every programme, policy, and
directive was issued from France. The Minister of Colonies issued decrees in
France to be implemented in the colonies.
Received reports
The Governor-General was required to write a
report on the territories in the previous year. This report was expected to be
submitted to the Minister of Colonies. One of the functions of the Minister of
Colonies were to receive annual reports from the Governor-General.
Approval of major
projects
Development projects were undertaken in the
overseas territories. However, before such projects were undertaken, the
Minister of Colonies needed to approve them. For example, if a major rail or
road project was to be implemented, the Minister of Colonies must have
sanctioned it.
Confer citizenship
The Africans who were born in the four communes
of Dakar, Goree, Rufisque, and St. Louis were automatic French citizens.
However, those who were born outside the four communes could only become French
citizens if they met certain laid down requirements. After such Africans had
qualified, it was the function of the Minister of Colonies to confer French
citizenship on them.
Direct supervision of territories
Sometimes, the Minister of Colonies could resort
to direct supervision of the overseas territories. This he did by touring any
of the several overseas territories to see for himself exactly what was going
on there.
LIMITATIONS OF THE
MINISTER
Limitation of the
French President
The Minister of Colonies was appointed by the
French President and therefore he was ultimately answerable to him. He was
mindful not to deviate from the aspirations of the president of the republic,
otherwise, he could be dismissed from office, asked to resign his position or
reshuffled out of office.
Accountable to the
French Parliament
The overseas territories were governed by laws
emanating from the French Parliament. The Minister of Colonies was therefore
required to act in accordance with the provisions of the laws of parliament. It
was rare for a Minister of Colonies to be seen to be violating the very laws
that he was supposed to implement.
Limitations of
colleagues in Cabinet
In the course of his duties, the Minister of
Colonies may want to introduce new policies or modernize existing ones. His
proposals needed to be tabled at cabinet meetings and his colleagues in the
cabinet could criticize aspects of his proposals and he was obliged to make
changes to it before it could be accepted as a policy document.
Powerful economic
interests
There were individuals and companies with vested
interests in the overseas territories and how it impacted their businesses in
the metropolis. Such interests obviously were determined to protect their
investments. For that reason, any policy that might jeopardize their interests
were criticized. Business lobby groups in France could, therefore, serve as a
limitation to the powers of the Minister of the Colonies.
Restrictions from
Governor-General
The Governor-General who was resident in West
Africa was expected to know about specific situations on the ground. He could, therefore, make suggestions or appeals to the Minister of Colonies that could
influence policy directions or the mode of implementations of specific
directives in the colonies. The appeals of the Governor-General to the Minister
of Colonies could serve as a limitation to the powers of the Minister.
