Final answer:
Western nations were mainly interested in exploiting Africa's natural resources during the period of nineteenth-century imperialism. Access to raw materials and new markets for finished goods were key motives behind the colonization efforts, overshadowing other potential areas of investment in the colonies.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Africa, Western nations were most interested in using natural resources. This focus was a significant part of nineteenth-century imperialism, where industrializing powers were concerned primarily with gaining access to raw materials and establishing markets for their finished goods. European empires spread to Africa, among other regions, to exploit these resources, which were then used in Europe.
The interest in natural resources was so profound that it often overshadowed other potential investments in the colonies, such as encouraging local industries, developing skilled labor, and promoting education. The scramble for raw materials led to the colonization and the drawing of boundaries at the Berlin Conference in 1884-1885, regardless of the established societies within those borders.
The exploitation of natural resources contributed to the economies of the colonizing nations and often created an economic dependency that persisted beyond the colonies' independence.