Again, the technologies in game do not cover "invention", but "adaptation". Hey, Ottoman Turkey/Russia/China didn't make any breakthrough inventions in early XXth century, by that logic they should be banned from researching technologies in the game too, right? Right?
Besides, the fun of the game is to create ahistorical scenarios, including one where the African nation actually successfully industrializes. To have it hardblocked because 'niggers can't invent stuff, hyhy' would be detrimental to a gameplay and game's systems.
They couldn't even keep and maintain what euros build them after they became independent and you want them to reverse engineer a steam engine in 19th centuary lmao
It had much to do with it, including underlying philosophy (basically, 'progress' as a key value). It just had to tackle different issues.
Classical liberalism - free market, laissez-faire, limited government intervention, freedom of speech.
Modern liberalism/leftism - fuckload of regulations, taxes, taxes, taxes, taxes, taxes, government intervention everywhere, and no freedom of speech because it's offensive.
And importing savages to settle in your country was not even an issue in 19th century, because back then people were still sane and noone would even think that it might be a great idea.