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| 1446 |
| | | Portugal claims ownership of the region of Guinea, subsequently the centre of their slave trade on the west African coast | |
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| c. 1450 |
| | | A warrior king, Ewuare, establishes the forest kingdom of Benin | |
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| c. 1450 |
| | | Coffee, derived from wild plants in Ethiopia, is cultivated in Arabia | |
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| c. 1450 |
| | | The caravel, a sailing ship developed in the Mediterranean and used down the west coast of Africa, is adapted by the Portuguese for Atlantic use | |
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| 1466 |
| | | The Portuguese settlers on the Cape Verde islands are granted a monopoly on the new slave trade | |
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| c. 1480 |
| | | An increase in trade through the central Sahara benefits the Songhay, with their capital at Gao, at the expense of Mali | |
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| 1483 |
| | | The Portuguese establish a further presence on the west coast of Africa, at the mouth of the Congo river | |
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| 1492 |
| | | A French privateer off the west coast of Ghana is the first to plunder a Portuguese vessel carrying home African gold | |
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| c. 1500 |
| | | The people of Benin begin a lasting tradition of sculpture in brass, melted down from objects brought by traders | |
|  | Nigerian Bronze Head, 16th century
British Museum
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| 1517 |
| | | The Ottoman sultan, Selim I, captures Cairo and ends Mameluke rule in the middle east | |
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