Africans communities interacted through various economic The first direct evidence of pastoralism in the Sahara dates
activities such as handcraft industry, trade, agriculture, from perhaps 5000 BC. fishing and mining. Impacts of agriculture METALWORKING (METALLURGY) INDUSTRY i. Increasing of food production Metalworking industry were industry that used various ii. Increasing of population kind of metals such as iron, bronze, gold, copper and tin to iii. Encouraging of permanent settlement make tools, weapons, utensils, ornaments and coinage. iv. Encouraging the development of trade v. Growth of centres Iron production vi. Invention of skills of keeping agricultural records Iron production was done in various areas such as Ufipa in Southern East of Lake Tanganyika, and Engaruka and Ugweno in Northern Tanzania. Also, iron was being MINING smelted at Nok, in what now northern Nigeria, around 500 Iron BC. In West Africa deposits of iron were of small scale, BRONZE PRODUCTION however, there were a few large centres, such as Oume in In Benin, the bronze casters had guilds called Igun the southern Ivory coast and in Oyo in south-west where a Eronwon. complex of highly specialized mining villages flourished during pre-colonial period. GOLD PRODUCTION Gold Very old gold workings have been found in Egypt going back to the beginning of the third millennium BC. In West The largest output of gold in ancient times, not only in Africa gold production in Lobi, Bambuku, Boure and Africa but in the world at large, came from the mines of Ashanti grew steadily from the first millennium A.D. Nubia.
COPPER PRODUCTION Copper
Egyptians were producing and using in pre-dynast times, In Central Africa, some of the opencast mine was found in that is before 3000 BC. Also, Copper was being mined and Katanga. Also, Copper was being mined and smelted by smelted by 2000 BC. in Agadez, Niger and by the 15th 2000 BC. in Agadez, Niger and by the 15 th century BC at century BC at Akjoujt in western Mauritania. Akjoujt in western Mauritania.
TIN PRODUCTION The largest pre-historic tin centres have been located in the Salt Bauchi province of Nigeria and in Rooiberg-Waterberg In the area of Uvinza Western Tanzania, salt was mined district of the Transvaal, South Africa. dates from the early Stone Age. The impacts of metalworking FISHING i. Improvement of implements For example, fishing was practised along the coast, ii. Emerging of metalworking centres particular in the region of Senegambia and the Gulf of iii. Emerging of social stratification Guinea, and also in many inland water such as Lake chad iv. Increasing of trade commodities and the great bend of the Niger in western Sudan. In East v. Increasing of production Africa, the Luo were the fishermen at the area along Lake Victoria, and in Kilombero and Rufiji valley, Wandengereko, fished in river Rufiji, and Wandamba AGRICULTURE fished in river Kirombero while the Zaramo and other Crop cultivation coastal communities fished in the Indian ocean. The impact of fishing
Animal keeping i. Development of fishing centres
ii. Improvement of peoples diet iii. Increasing of food availability and security iv. Improvement of trade In Africa, variety of fibres were used, for instance, fibres of tree bark, bast, raphia, silk, wool and cotton. TEXTILE PRODUCTON Silk production was mostly restricted to Nigeria and Textile production involved various process in the Madagascar where various species of the moth of the manufacturing of most fabrics, from harvesting and genus Anaphs were found. it was obtained from larvae of collection of fibres, to soaking, drying, softening, cleaning, these moths, which bred on tamarind trees. and spinning them, and their reconstitution and elaboration through weaving, dyeing, bleaching, embroidery, applique etc.
