Were there political motives for the colonization of Africa?

The colonization of Africa that kicked off in the late nineteenth century had many motivations. Some nations wanted to gather all the raw materials they could get; others had a desire to spread their ideology. Politically, though, every nation wanted to increase the size of its empire. More territory means more power.
This same fundamental idea fed the political aspect of African colonization, just as it had fed political rivalries for thousands of years. What made the Scramble for Africa different was the region's vast reserves of raw materials. European empires weren't just fighting for the immediate political status bump that accompanies colonization; they were fighting to win Africa's abundant natural resources that they believed would cement their position as a global super power for centuries to come.
http://webs.bcp.org/sites/vcleary/modernworldhistorytextbook/imperialism/section_6/causesmotivations.html