Trade Influence In West Africa

Register to read the introduction… Mali found greater success than Ghana because of a new factor brought about by centuries of trade with Northern Africa, this being the spread of Islam. Muslim influence began during the time of Ghana through trade and commerce. Arabs from the north would trade things such as salt, horses and camels for gold and timber. It wasn’t until Mali was formed that Islam was allowed to integrate into West African society. Islam gave a sense of unity to the entire region, making all of West Africa more peaceful. The peace brought about by this new sense of unity enabled Mali to expand their trade companies to all of West Africa.
Islam is just one new …show more content…
The region was not again drastically shaped until European influence is seen. It wasn’t until 15th century shipbuilding advancements that European nations could now trade directly with West Africa rather than go through a northern middleman. The Portuguese were the first to make contact, but the British, French, and Dutch all had influence in the trade for the region’s gold, ivory, and slaves. With all the money and power to be had in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, European nations fought for influence and colonization in the region. This colonization process has in many ways paved the way for economic relations that exist today in West Africa. European colonizers made cash crops the most important part of their colonies’ markets. These cash crops, only grown to be sold, were the catalyst of this new economy whose emphasis was on exporting raw materials to be manufactured outside of West Africa. Once manufactured, they would be sold back into West Africa. This system provided European nations with cheap raw materials to fuel their newly industrialized