Final answer:
Ironworking in West Africa was independently developed around 1000 BCE, initially in Central Africa and spreading to West Africa by 500 BCE. It had a significant impact on agriculture, settlement expansion, and the development of empires like the Ghana and Mali empires.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question of when and where ironworking was invented in West Africa is of great interest. Early theories suggested that the technology spread from Egypt into sub-Saharan Africa. However, modern scholarship disputes this narrative, with consensus now indicating that West Africans independently developed iron smelting technology.
Evidence of early ironworking dates back to around 1000 BCE in Central Africa, with regions today known as Chad, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan at the forefront. This technology then spread to the Nok culture in the Niger River area of West Africa by 500 BCE.
Iron had a transformative effect on African societies, facilitating more effective farming due to stronger iron tools such as shovels and axes. These advancements in agriculture helped expose new territories for settlement and enhanced connectivity between previously isolated regions.