when did ghana begin the exportation of cocoa
Tetteh Quarshie In 1879 Tetteh Quarshie planted the seeds at Mampong with some success. Friends and relatives also undertook the planting of cocoa when pods were distributed to them. Soon other farmers followed suit. It was only at this point that the Basel Missionaries stepped into the picture by importing large quantities of the crop into the country. From the Gold Coast (Ghana) cocoa beans or cuttings were sent to other countries such as Nigeria and Sierra Leone. The export of cocoa from Ghana began in 1891, and the official export in 1893 (two bags exported). Ghana once provided almost half of world output. Between 1910 and 1980 Ghana was the world's largest exporter. This position was ceded due to bush fires. However, Ghana's cocoa is still of the highest quality and the country earns hundreds of millions of dollars annually from the export of the beans and processed materials.
Iron metallurgy in Africa Iron smelting was practiced by the Nok culture of Nigeria from as early as 1000 BC. The nearby Djenné-Djenno of the Niger Valley between Mali and Nigeria shows evidence of iron production from c. 250 BC. The technology was spread by the Bantu expansion to Eastern and Southern Africa during c. 500 BC to AD 400 as shown in the Urewe culture.[1]