A West A frican experiment: constructing a GDP series for colonial G hana, 1891–1950

There has been a recent surge in research on long‐term A frican development. For this research agenda to be fruitful and its theories tested, it is crucial to have consistent estimates of economic change. However, there is a lack of reliable time series data for the colonial period in S ub‐ S aharan A frica. This article contributes new time series data for the G old C oast and G hana between 1890 and 2010 and in particular a new GDP time series for G hana for the years 1891–1957. The series implies a sustained period of economic expansion from the late nineteenth century. This suggests a revision of some prevalent truths about the history of economic growth in S ub‐ S aharan A frica, and points the way forward for expanding the database to cover the colonial period for other A frican economies.