The idea of Europeans building infrastructure and living in Africa
One of the proposals at the conference included what is known as “effective occupation”. This provision required that in order to claim a colony, Europeans need to build an administration in that territory.
This was required to prevent what would have been a colony in name only. With the establishment of administrations came infrastructures such as schools, churches and industries to serve the colonisation purpose.
The practice of “settler colonies” became optionable after the Berlin Conference.
