Contributions from Africa

• Africa is known for the production of Kola nuts and coffee in Ethiopia (Kola nuts are
mostly found in West Africa and is the basis of cola drink).
• Coffee was developed as a consumable drink that spread to Arabia and then throughout
the world
• Africa used plants with salicylic acid for pain (aspirin) and for diarrhea (Kaopectate).
• They are also highly advanced in medicine such operating autopsies and caesarian.
• The technology involved experimentation in drainage, construction of polders,
desalination, and irrigation. Evidence in 1978 suggests that they already mastered
making steels
Kola nut

•Human use of the kola nut, like the coffee berry and tea leaf, appears to
have ancient origins. It is chewed in many West African cultures, in both
private and social settings, as a source of mental stimulation.
•The spread of the kola nut across North Africa seems to be connected to
the spread of Islam across North Africa during the 17th century, as trading
across the Mediterranean became more concrete. The kola nut was
particularly useful on slave ships to improve the taste of water, as enslaved
Africans were often given poor quality water to drink.
•Kola nuts are an important part of the traditional spiritual practice of culture
and religion in West Africa, particularly Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and 
Liberia.
• Kola nuts are used as a religious object and sacred offering during
prayers, ancestor veneration, and significant life events, such as naming
ceremonies, weddings, and funerals.