From Petty Traders to International Merchants: A Historical Account of Three IGBO Women of Nigeria in Trade and Commerce, 1886 to 1970

Abstract

ince the precolonial period, women have made remarkable contributions to trade and commerce in Igboland of Nigeria. Researchers and scholars have done some work in this area.' A review of the literature has shown that women dominated the local markets, while men dominated the longdistance trade in Igboland. This was apparently because women were combining trade with their household and family occupations. Men's domination of long-distance trade was not necessarily a result of the difficulties associated with it, but came about because long-distance trade interfered with the basic traditional roles of Igbo women (child rearing and care, household chores, and tending the farms).2 Again, most married women were required to get the consent and support of their husbands before they could engage in longdistance trade, which usually took the participants away from home for a day or more. The three women examined here gained the full support of their families, especially their husbands. The role of Igbo women in local trade was aptly captured by G. T. Basden: