EARLY EUROPEAN

CONTACT WITH
NIGERIA
PRESENTED BY
• Enoch
• Jasmine
• Sarah
• Chioma
• Jesse
• Chinonso
• And Omiebi
DATE
• Europe first made contact with Nigeria as early as the 15th century
along the west coast of Nigeria
• The first Europeans to arrive Nigeria were the Portuguese in 1472 in
which they traded items such as tropical products which will be
discussed later in the presentation
LOCATION
• In the 15th century European traders arrived in modern day Nigeria to
purchase items such as tropical products like ivory, gold, pepper and
more
• In return the Nigerians received items like clothes, mirrors and spirits
until the 16th century
• In the 16th century the Atlantic slave trade was introduced, in this
trade humans were exported from Nigeria’s geographical area to
Europe and the Americas
ITEMS TRADED
• The most common items traded were
• Gold
• Ivory
• Wood (for dye)
• Pepper
• And slaves (16th century)
ITEMS RECIEVED
• In return for the trades early Nigerians received
• Metals
• Clothes
• Beads
• Guns
• And ammunition
EARLY EUROPIAN TRADERS
• Some notable European traders were Taubman Goldie and John Holt
• Taubman Goldie – Sir George Dashwood Taubman Goldie was a Manx
administrator who was responsible for the development of Northern
Nigeria into a British protectorate
• John Holt – John Holt was an English merchant who founded a
shipping line between Liverpool and West Africa and a number of
businesses in Nigeria
EFFECTS
• Communities in Nigeria were changed significantly as a result of the
trade, some communities grew in size while others suffered great
losses because of slave raids and the escalation of violence
• Africa was also damaged culturally as lifestyles and cultures were
destroyed because Europeans had no interest in African cultures