West African gold, for example, was exported as far away as Asia and Northern Europe.
Some English coins of the period were minted with West African gold.

West African imports included silks from Asia, swords, knives, kitchen-ware, and trinkets from the primitive industrial factories of Europe as well as horses and other items from Arabia.

Two other items of trade became all important for the future--the exportation of slaves and the importation of guns and gunpowder.
West African manufacturing demonstrated a considerable amount of skill in a wide variety of crafts.

These included basket-weaving, pottery making, woodworking and iron-working.

Archeological evidence shows that West Africans were making pottery and terracotta sculpture as much as two thousand years ago.