Economics & Finance / Economic Theory / Development Economics

Why West Africa Rejected the Wheel: A $100 Billion Mistake?

For centuries, sub-Saharan Africa relied on head porterage instead of wheeled transport. Historians called it a rational adaptation to geography and tsetse flies. But new data from 1909-1935 reveals a shocking truth: railways in West Africa generated social returns of up to 122% per year—double the US and UK rates. This video breaks down the real reasons behind the 'wheel puzzle': political fragmentation, colonial sabotage, and the fear of European conquest. Based on the NBER working paper by Isaías N. Chaves, Stanley L. Engerman, and James A. Robinson, we explore why the most profitable technology in history was systematically blocked.