-
Jan 1, 1450
British traders
From the late fifteenth century and onwards British traders began travelling to the coastal territories of West Africa, mostly to Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon.
However, the British did not settle down and therefore English was only used as a way of communicating amongst the locals and the travellers. -
Jan 1, 1500
Development
Later on, English gained official status in the five countries. The simple English they spoke in the beginning developped into other languages and they are now spoken by a large number of people as second languages. For example Krio in Sierra Leone and Cameroon pidgin. In Ghana English is included in primary school and in Nigeria English is the official language.
