The document summarizes the impact of the slave trade on Africa's development in 3 main points: 1) The slave trade drained Africa of able-bodied men and women who could have contributed to developing the continent. This led to a shortage of labor that caused economic stagnation, particularly in the agricultural sector. 2) The strategies used by slave traders, such as raiding and kidnapping, led to serious social violence and increased warfare within and between communities in Africa. 3) Africa became viewed as only existing to serve the development needs of Europe and America by supplying slaves for their plantations, rather than as a place that needed development itself. This hindered development and empire building in Africa.

1. SLAVE TRADE AND IMPACT ON AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT
By Segun Oshewolo
Introduction: Slavery is not the same as slave trade. Slavery means the state of been under the total
control of another person, working under harsh conditions with little or no pay. Slavery has always
been part of the history of man, not just in Africa, but also in other parts of the world. It was not uncommon
in those days to see rulers and influential persons acquire and maintain slaves. These slaves served as
domestic servants and also worked on the farm. However, most of the slaves during this period were
prisoners of war. It was toward the middle of the fifteenth century that trade in slaves began. It began with
the commercialization of slaves, particularly across the Atlantic Ocean.
What is slave trade? According to Walter Rodney, slave trade refers to the shipment of slaves/captives
from Africa to various other parts of the world where they were to live and work as property of Europeans.
During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, plantations and large agricultural estates were established in
along the coast of Brazil and in the Caribbean to grow sugarcane. Growing sugarcane demanded much
labour which the small Native American population (the red Indians) could not provide. Thus, African
slaves were shipped to Brazil and the Caribbean to work on the plantations.
In 1518, a Spanish ship carried the first boat-load of African slaves directly from Africa to the
Americas.
What is the triangular trade? Slave trade later grew dramatically and became part of the triangular trade
that marked the emergence of a new world economy. This triangular trade connected Europe, Africa, and the
American continent.
In the first channel of the triangular trade, European merchant ships carried European manufactured goods
such as guns, clothing, mirror, alcoholic beverages to Africa where they were traded for a cargo of slaves.
The mirror which was exchanged for human beings was so amazing to the Africans that they see themselves
through the mirror. The alcoholic beverages also intoxicated Africans that they sold even their brothers to
the Europeans. The articles of trade blindfolded them and exposed them to the danger of selling each other.
The second stage of the triangular trade was known as the middle passage. The slaves were shipped by the
European merchants to the Americas and sold to work on the plantations. The conditions of shipping were
unimaginable and cruel that human beings were packed like sardines. Many of them did not get to their
destination as they died of suffocation, hunger and thirst.
The European merchants then bought tobacco, molasses, sugar and raw cotton and shipped them back to
Europe to be sold in the European markets. These were proceeds that accrued from slave labour.

2. Slave trade was abolished in the early nineteenth century but did not end until Brazil abolished it in
1888. More than 70 per cent of the slaves were said to have been taken from West Africa with the
collaboration of African chiefs and businessmen.
Effects of Slave Trade on Africa’s Development
The Atlantic slave trade produced a damaging effect on the African economy in a number of ways.
1. Slave trade drained Africa of man-power. The effect of this on the African economic system was
profound. First, able bodied men and women who could have developed the continent of Africa were
shipped away across the Atlantic as slaves. Second, the feeble elements that were left behind could
not contribute meaningfully to the development of the local economy. Third, others who survived the
assault went into hiding to escape from the slave raiders. Shortage of labour of this nature leads to
economic stagnation. This as the African experience during the era of slave trade. The sector that
was most affected was the agricultural sector. Labour was drawn off from agriculture and those
regions that were self sufficient in food production and were exporting to other parts of Africa soon
began to experience famine. For instance, Dahomey, which in the sixteenth century was known for
exporting food to parts of Togo, was suffering from famine in the nineteenth century.
2. The strategy adopted by the slave dealers which included raiding and kidnapping led to serious
social violence and warfare between and within communities. The desire of influential and
eminent Africans such as traditional rulers to provide a constant supply of slaves led to increased
warfare in Africa. African leaders near the coast and their followers, armed with guns acquired from
the trade in slaves, increased their raids and wars on neighbouring communities. This practice
increased the element of fear and also discouraged empire building.
3. Africa became a natural ‘repository’ for servicing the development needs of Europe and
America. When they needed slaves to work on their plantations, Africa was considered as the land
that could supply human slaves. The implication of this is that Africa was considered as a region that
did not need development and its only economic relevance was to help push development in Europe
and America.