HISTORY OF BUSINESS IN NIGERIA

Every human society develops some means of producing and distributing the goods and services that it needs. Exchange of goods and services was perhaps non existent when man lived in caves, gathered nuts and hunted animals for food. As soon as he began to live in permanent settlements, it became possible to produce more than was required for subsistence living. It became possible for man to specialize in different human activities and to exchange goods and services with his neighbours. The craftsman who needed meat had to exchange his product with that of the hunter. As the society developed, the variety and complexity of goods and services produced and exchanged increased. In the same way, the mode of exchange also became elaborate.
The history of business in Nigeria can be conveniently divided into pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial periods. In the pre-colonial era. Several and the Sudan. The civilizations, especially Ghana, songhai, mail, kanem-Bornu, Ife, OYO, AND Benin Kingdoms built their economies on conquest, agriculture, craft industries and trading. Between Sudan and North Africa, the trans-Saharan trade in gold, ivory, kolanuts, salt, cloths and selves flourished for several centuries. Other trade routes also developed along major rivers such as the Chad basin area, Senegal, Niger, and Volta rivers as well as the Niger-Delta.