Dependencies in Secondary Cities during the Colonial Period: Tamale and the Introduction of Motorized Transportation

In 1921, the Great North Road was completed, introducing Tamale, for the first time, to the automobilised world. The road created new opportunities for new and old residents; small transport firms were started, traders emphasized the procurement of consumer goods, and ‘petty traders' began tapping the new markets which the road provided. The large European trading firms brought the ‘economie de traite' to Tamale; sheanuts were exchanged for bicycle tyres, kerosene and other manufactured goods. But the road brought dangers to the economy too; Tamale relinquished its agrarian character and became dependent on the ‘hinterland' for foodstuffs. Especially with the resettlement of ex-servicemen after 1945, a significant money supply (gratuities), coupled with low supply levels, drove up prices. There were complaints that traders manipulated price-controls to increase profits in the south. Tamale experienced new kinds of economic shocks, catastrophes, manipulations and hardships. The paper focuses on these aspects of the introduction of motorised transportation to Tamale.