Economic Activities and Growth of States

Contents & notes: what this topic covers

Under Economic Activities and Growth of States, the JAMB History syllabus expects you to study:

• 4. Economic Activities and Growth of States: a. Agriculture – hunting, farming, fishing, animal husbandry and horticulture.
• b. Industries – pottery, salt-making, iron- smelting, blacksmithing, leather-working, wood-carving, cloth-making, dyeing and food processing.
• c. Trade and trade routes: - local, regional, long distance, including the trade in slaves and trans-Sahara trade.
• d. Expansion of states.

Study notes & guidance

Study Economic Activities and Growth of States using a recommended History textbook that follows the JAMB syllabus. Work through the contents listed above one by one, make brief notes in your own words, and then practise as many questions on this topic as you can — in History, understanding and steady practice matter far more than memorising. Use the objectives below as a checklist: if you can do each one confidently, you have mastered this topic.

Objectives — candidates should be able to

After studying Economic Activities and Growth of States, you should be able to:

1. Identify the various economic activities of the people;
2. Differentiate the economic activities and specialties of the people;
3. Relate trade and other economic activities to the growth of the states.

These objectives are from the official JAMB syllabus. Use them as a checklist — if you can do each one confidently, you have mastered this topic.

Source: official JAMB UTME History syllabus (IBASS, jamb.gov.ng). Reproduced for study use. Last checked: 17 Sept 2026. Always confirm the current syllabus on the official portal.