Colonial Continuities in European Union Development Cooperation with Nigeria: A Postcolonial Political Economy

This doctoral study develops an original postcolonial political economy analysis of European Union development cooperation with Nigeria, arguing that structurally significant continuities with the colonial political economy persist in contemporary EU development frameworks and that these continuities systematically constrain transformative development outcomes. The study advances beyond descriptive postcolonial critiques to develop a theoretically grounded and empirically substantiated model of how colonial continuities operate through contemporary EU development architecture. Drawing on Bhambra's connected sociologies, Quijano's coloniality of power, and Nigerian dependency thought (including Samir Amin and Claude Ake), the research develops an original Colonial Continuity Index (CCI) applicable to bilateral development cooperation frameworks. The CCI is operationalised and applied to the EU-Nigeria Country Indicative Programme for 2021-2027, using a comprehensive documentary analysis methodology. Empirical grounding is further provided through 50 in-depth interviews with Nigerian development economists, EU development officials, civil society organisations, and postcolonial studies scholars in Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, and Kano. The CCI analysis identifies specific programmatic and governance mechanisms through which colonial continuities manifest in contemporary EU-Nigeria development relations. Original contributions include the Colonial Continuity Index, its application to the 2021-2027 CIP, and a theoretically grounded reform agenda for decolonising EU-Nigeria development cooperation. Keywords: colonial continuity, EU development cooperation, postcolonial political economy, Nigeria, decolonisation.