Catalogue description Commonwealth Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Central African Department and predecessors: Registered Files (NR and CA Series)

By former file reference

Following the unilateral declaration of independence by Rhodesia, the relations of its former partners in the Central African Federation were dealt with by separate departments of the Commonwealth Relations Office, and then the Commonwealth Office. The Malawi Department and the Zambia Department were merged into a single Zambia and Malawi Department as the volume of work relating to their business reduced.

The department was expanded to include Commonwealth Office relations with South Africa, the former High Commission Territories (Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland) and the Portuguese colonial territories of Angola and Moçambique, as the Zambia, Malawi and Southern Africa Department, taking over responsibilities formerly held by the East Africa Department of the Commonwealth Office. On the formation of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in October 1968, the Department was abolished, its functions passing to the Central African Department and the Southern African Department. The former of these was additionally responsible for relations with Congo (Kinshasa). The Central African Department continued until July 1969 when it was absorbed into the Central and Southern African Department.