Final answer:
The early trade in Africa, especially in enslaved people, generated interest from other countries in wanting to colonize the continent for economic and political reasons.
Step-by-step explanation:
The early trade in Africa, especially in enslaved people, generated interest from other countries in wanting to colonize the continent for economic and political reasons. European powers such as Portugal, Spain, England, France, and the Netherlands saw the wealth and resources available in Africa, including gold, ivory, and slaves, and wanted to exploit them. These powers brought firearms and manufactured goods that appealed to West African polities, which in turn provided them with captives for the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The trade in enslaved people and other resources altered society in Africa, militarizing states and reorienting trade.