Catalogue description Records of African and Mediterranean departments

An Africa Division was one of the first to be established in the Ministry of Overseas Development following its creation; it consisted of a number of departments dealing with the provision of capital and technical aid to defined geographical areas of the continent. These were the East Africa Department, the West and North Africa Department and the Central and Southern Africa Department. The last of these was split up in 1966, a Southern Africa and Malawi Department remaining in the Africa Division, but a new Central Africa, Mediterranean and Pacific Department being formed in the Asia Division.

In 1967 it was decided that there should be a department to handle matters relating to Africa generally, such as relations with African regional organisations and the developing political crisis in Rhodesia, and as a result the Southern Africa, Malawi and Africa (General) Department was created. In 1968 the Central Africa, Mediterranean and Pacific Department was moved from the Asia to the Africa Division. Two African development divisions were opened in 1972, in Nairobi and Lilongwe. In 1973 the title of the Southern Africa, Malawi and Africa (General) Department was changed to that of Southern Africa and Africa General Department, though it continued to deal with aid to Malawi.

There was a general reorganisation of the departments in Africa Division in 1975, resulting in three new departments: Eastern and Southern Africa; West Africa; and Northern and General Africa. Responsibility for central African countries was moved again in 1976, from Eastern and Southern Africa Department to a new West and Central Africa Department. The three departments were reorganised again in 1979 into the following departments: Eastern and General Africa; Central and Southern Africa; and Western and Northern Africa.

This arrangement was short lived, however, with Western and Northern Africa Department being abolished and replaced by Eastern and Western Africa Department, and north African business being carried out by Mediterranean and Near East Department in Asia Division. In 1986 this Department was abolished and a West and North Africa and the Mediterranean Department was created in the Africa Division (becoming the West and North Africa Department in 1992, though it continued to deal with Mediterranean affairs). The Eastern and the Central and Southern African Departments were merged in 1995 to form a single Africa, Greater Horn and Co-ordination Department.

After 1964, development aid to the Mediterranean (particularly to Malta, Cyprus, Gibraltar and Portugal) was handled by the Middle East Department of the Asia Division. Mediterranean affairs were then placed in the Central Africa, Mediterranean and Pacific Department in 1966, which remained as part of the Asia Division until 1968 when the department was moved into Africa Division. In 1970, Mediterranean affairs passed to a new Middle East and Mediterranean Department in the Asia Division (between 1972 and 1974 it was the Middle East, Mediterranean and Caribbean Department).

After the conversion of the Ministry of Overseas Development into the Overseas Development Administration in 1970 placed the organisation under the indirect control of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, a number of joint Foreign and Commonwealth Office/Overseas Development Administration departments were established, reporting to the FCO on political matters and to ODA on development. Among these was the Gibraltar and General Department; development matters for Gibraltar were dealt with by that department from 1972 to 1976, when they were absorbed into the Middle East and Mediterranean Department.

In 1980 Mediterranean and North African business was united in the same department, the Mediterranean and Near East, which was moved into Africa Division in 1981. In 1986 there was a further re-organisation, Mediterranean affairs mostly passing to a new West and North Africa and the Mediterranean Department, though responsibility for Gibraltar passed to a new South Atlantic and Gibraltar Department (1986-1989), and thence to a Caribbean and Atlantic Department (1989-1990) and then to a Latin America, Caribbean and Atlantic Department (1990-).