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
Catholic Institute of West Africa Catholic Institute of West Africa The Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA) is a tertiary educational institution in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. It is a higher ecclesiastical institute of the Catholic Church and remains the leading theological facility in West Africa. Established in 1981, the institute opened its doors with 8 students, 8 academic and administrative staff with Monsignor Stephen Ezeanya as its first rector. Ezeanya was later appointed as Archbishop of Onitsha. In 1982, the institute relocated to its present site at 2nd Artillery, Rumuibekwe. Its current proprietor is the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA). According