History of West Africa more states. Early human settlers arrived in West Africa around 12,000 BCE. In the fifth millennium, as the ancestors of modern West Africans began entering the area, the development of sedentary farming began to take place in West Africa. The Iron industry, in both smelting and forging for tools and weapons, appeared in Sub-Saharan Africa by 1200 BCE, and by 400 BCE, contact had been made with the Mediterranean civilizations, and a regular trade included exporting gold, cotton, metal, and leather in exchange for copper, horses, salt, textiles, and beads. Culture developed further with the Nok culture (1000 BCE to
Andrew Jonathan Nok Kafanchan where he obtained the West African School Certificate in 1979, the same year he was admitted into Ahmadu Bello University where he received a bachelor's degree in biochemistry in 1983, master's degree in 1988 and doctorate degree in 1993. He is married to Amina Nok and is a father of three children, Anita, Amanda and Nathan Nok. Nok was nominated as commissioner of Health and Human services by the executive governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai on 29 July 2015, along with other 12 nominees. Andrew Jonathan Nok Andrew Jonathan Nok, NNOM (11 February 1962 – 21