Why did British and French colonial governments rely on African chiefs?

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Map of North America in 1763 using color coding to show colonial territories: the 13 American colonies in red along the Atlantic coast, other British territory in orange across much of present-day Canada, Spanish territory in purple covering most of the southern and western regions, Russian territory in green in the northwest, and large areas of unclaimed land in white. Major bodies of water such as the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Hudson Bay are labeled. — Western colonialism North America during the colonial period.

British and French colonial governments relied on African chiefs primarily because colonial administrations lacked the personnel to govern vast populations directly. A district officer could not manage tens or hundreds of thousands of subjects alone, making traditional leaders essential intermediaries in the chain of authority to implement government orders.1

While both powers utilized this hierarchy, their underlying theories differed:

British Policy: The British adopted indirect rule, a system championed by Frederick Lugard. This approach aimed to maintain control by cultivating and molding the existing governments of traditional rulers, rather than reaching down to every individual subject.1
French Policy: The French viewed local chiefs as the lowest tier of a single, centralized administrative machine. Unlike the British, who sought to preserve traditional structures, the French intended for their administration to function entirely on French lines, often moving away from reliance on local agency once their control was firmly established.1

Ultimately, using chiefs served as a practical necessity to maintain order across territories where European officials were vastly outnumbered.1