Royal Niger Company

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The Royal Niger Company was a British trading company set up in the late 1800s to control trade along the Niger River in what is now Nigeria. It began in 1879 as the United African Company, formed by merging several British trading firms led by George Goldie. In 1882 the firm became the National African Company after raising funds to buy out its rivals. In 1886 it won a royal charter and was renamed the Royal Niger Company, with Goldie as its leader.

The company built many trading posts and controlled the palm oil trade, using private treaties with local rulers to secure a monopoly. It faced competition from French and German traders, but helped Britain extend its influence in the lower Niger region. At the Berlin Conference of 1884–85, Goldie argued for British control over the NAC’s area, which helped Britain gain a stronger foothold in the region.

In 1900 the Royal Niger Company transferred its territories to the British government for £865,000 as part of Britain’s reorganization of its African colonies. The land became part of the Northern and Southern Nigeria Protectorates, which were later combined to form the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria (in 1914) and eventually gained independence in 1960. The company then became The Niger Company Ltd and, in 1929, joined the United Africa Company (UAC). The UAC came under Unilever in the 1930s and was fully absorbed by 1987.

The company is remembered for helping to shape colonial rule in Nigeria and for playing a key role in Britain’s economic and political control of the region.