In Africa, lead mining and smelting were known in the Benue Trough and the lower Congo Basin, where lead was used for trade with Europeans, and as a currency by the 17th century, well before the scramble for Africa.
W Afryce górnictwo i wytop ołowiu znane były w Benue Trough i w dolnym Basenie Kongo, gdzie ołowiu używano w handlu z Europejczykami jako środek płatniczy do XVII wieku.