The state and the development of business organisations in Benin, ca. 1440–1897

Abstract The focus of this paper is on business organisations in Benin and their interplay with the state from the era of Oba Ewuare up to the fall of the Kingdom in 1897. The paper analyses economic nationalism in the kingdom and the roles in the protection and development of identified business groups during the period. Knowledge of business organisations in pre-British Benin and their relationship with the state, which aided their development between ca. 1440 and 1897 is a vacuum in the study of African business organisations and will be useful in understanding economic nationalism from an African perspective. The study adopts the historical method and requires a multidisciplinary approach for interpretation and reliability. As such, both primary and secondary sources were utilised, and the findings confirm that several business organisations in manufacturing, trading and in large scale crop farming existed. The work provides insights into the entrepreneurs, composition and operations of these businesses. The findings also reveal how trading and industrial activities were controlled and what implications this had for the development of these businesses and the state. The work shows in addition how these businesses benefited from the security and licences granted by the state as well as how the state used these businesses to mount up economic power and political stability.