Historical Notes on Inter-Regional Trade in
Pre-Colonial Africa and Reflections for 21st Century Africa – JOHNSON Sesan
Michael
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Executive Summary:
This work examines the nature and structure of inter-regional trade in pre-colonial Africa. In doing this, this work identifies the various factors that triggered inter-regional trade among different African regions. It further does an elucidation on the inter-regional trade routes. It also takes a swipe consideration of the evolution of markets in pre-colonial Africa as well its periodicity and regularity. Significantly, this conversation identifies the transduction of the exchange mechanism of pre-colonial African economy from the adoption of the trade by barter system to the use of some forms of currencies. Apart from the general use of cowries, this paper categorically identifies and interrogates ‘special purpose currencies’ such as gold, iron, copper and salt. Distinctively, this paper also identifies some tribes that played significant roles in inter-regional trade in pre-colonial Africa. These tribes or group of people include the Hausa, the Dyula, the Tuaregs, the Kamba and the Nyamwezi. In the concluding part, this conversation ends by highlighting the impact of inter-regional trade in pre-colonial Africa.
Without mincing words, some western authors have described the history of pre-colonial Africa as traditional and un-changing. There was the overwhelming belief that agriculture and the economy of pre-colonial Africa were immobilised by the combination of primitive technology, communal land tenure system and the extended family structure. However, this paper argues that inter-regional trade in pre-colonial Africa was not static but full of dynamism, changes, revolutions, innovation, inventions and adaptation.
Fundamentally, this paper does a historical reflection on the nature and character of inter-regional trade in the pre-colonial era of Africa by interrogating it within the framework of what is obtainable in inter-regional trade in this 21st century Africa and therefore opines that if Africa look inward and take a historical reflection on the past particularly on the evolution, innovation and progress that characterised inter-regional trade in pre-colonial Africa, Africa of today will able to get out of the current economic doldrums and therefore be able to advantageously reposition herself within the North-South dichotomy currently characterising the global system.
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