Social Development in the United Kingdom African Territories

Abstract

Social development in British African territories has consciously been undertaken by governments only since the end of World War II. Initially it took the form of remedial methods to deal with social problems accentuated by the war. The work of government social welfare departments and volun tary agencies assisted by international aid could not, however, be confined to the provision of remedial services. The under lying social ills had to be attacked as well. Social welfare workers were among the pioneers in community-development work in several territories in Africa; their work originally begun in the towns now reaches more and more into the outlying areas. This is particularly true in the case of Ghana, Uganda, and Tanganyika. In most African territories, social welfare and community development are administered through a single Ministry of Social Development so that remedial and construc tive measures are correlated.