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| 1923–25 |
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| The onset of Gov. Clifford's administration in Nigeria in 1921 led to the introduction of major new constitutional reforms. Clifford established a legislative council in 1923, thus giving Nigerians electoral representation for the first time. The establishment of legislative councils followed in Sierra Leone in 1924 and in the Gold Coast in 1925. In each of these colonies, the franchise was limited to wealthy Africans residing in urban centers; the percentage of Africans eligible to vote was very small. Traditional leaders and chiefs, handpicked by the colonial administration, outnumbered elected members of the legislative councils as well. The African elite eventually became disillusioned with the ineffectiveness of the “legco” system. | 1 |
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| 1925 |
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| A new constitution for the Gold Coast, implemented along the Clifford model. The Prince of Wales visited Nigeria. | 2 |
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| 1926 |
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| Sierra Leone railway strike. British West Africa was the scene of an increasing number of strikes and protests following World War I. The 1926 strike called by railway workers in Sierra Leone resulted in considerable violence. African workers called the strike to protest against a discriminatory salary plan, and received support from Western-educated Africans both at home and as far away as Lagos and Kumasi. Colonial authorities used armed force to crush the strike. | 3 |
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| 1927 |
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| Slavery declared abolished in Sierra Leone. | 4 |
| Firestone Rubber secured a 99-year lease on 1 million acres of Liberian land for its rubber plantation. Liberian leaders initially balked at the Firestone proposal, but finally accepted the agreement under pressure from the U.S. government. Rubber prices fell sharply soon after the plantation was established. | 5 |
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| 1928 |
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| First Roman Catholic priest ordained in Dahomey. | 6 |
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| 1929–30 |
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| The League of Nations launched an inquiry into the Liberian labor scandal after it received reports that Liberian laborers were virtually enslaved while working on Spanish plantations on Fernando Po. The League's report incriminated top Liberian officials who had supported involuntary labor recruitment schemes. Following the League's inquiry, Liberian president King and vice president Vancy were forced to resign. The U.S. resisted calls from Firestone that it intervene in Liberia following the scandal. | 7 |
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| 1929 |
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| The Aba Women's War (Ogu Umunwanyi) occurred in eastern Nigeria in response to British indirect rule policy. In the course of their administration of Igboland, the British colonial authorities concentrated power among newly created warrant chiefs, breaking with local tradition. New tax policies introduced by the British in 1928 aggravated African resentment in the region. Igbo women were particularly incensed by the chiefs' new authority, the decline of their own political associations, and the imposition of new taxes. In 1929 women in the Owerri province staged a mass protest, leading to the dismissal of the resident warrant chief and a government pledge of no new taxes. But the revolt spread despite official assurances. In southern Nigeria, women protesters destroyed native courts, burned property, and forced chiefs to flee. British troops were ordered to quell the protests, leaving 50 African women dead and 50 injured. | 8 |
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| 1931–35 |
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| Introduction of colonial political reforms in Nigeria under Gov. Donald Cameron. In response to the Aba Women's War and other protests against indirect rule, Cameron introduced councils of elders and notables in an effort to make African administration more responsive to local conditions and needs. The Cameron Reforms nevertheless failed to satisfy the political aspirations of younger Nigerian men and women. | 9 |
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| 1931–37 |
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| Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe returned from the U.S. and founded the African Morning Post, which became a leading nationalist forum. Before returning to West Africa, Azikiwe had studied and taught in the U.S., where he was exposed to radical black journalism. In 1933 he became the editor of the African Morning Post in Accra, Gold Coast. He used the paper to agitate against the colonial system, and soon became known as a leading African nationalist. Following his stint as editor of the African Morning Post, Azikiwe established the West African Pilot newspaper in Lagos. By 1937 the paper's nationalist sentiments drew a readership of at least 9,000 people. The 1930s also saw the establishment of several African-owned newspapers in French West Africa, especially in Senegal and the Ivory Coast. Many positioned themselves against the colonial order. Youth clubs arose simultaneously with the nationalist press. After his return to Nigeria in 1937, Azikiwe lent support to the Nigeria Youth movement, which soon won control of the Lagos town council. Other youth movements in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and the Gold Coast brought together young, Western-educated Africans impatient for change. They provided a training ground for the nationalist activists of the years to come. | 10 |
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| 1934–35 |
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| A Marxist trade unionist born in Freetown, I. T. A. Wallace-Johnson was deported from Lagos in 1933 because of his union activities. He then moved to the Gold Coast, where he attacked the colonial system through his articles in the Negro Worker. He established the nationalist West African Youth League in the Gold Coast between 1934 and 1935. The colonial administration there charged Wallace-Johnson with sedition in 1936, a charge of which he was eventually acquitted. He was deported to Sierra Leone in 1938. | 11 |
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| 1940 |
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| Enactment of the Colonial Development and Welfare Act, designed to spur economic development in British colonies. The passage of the act marked a turning point in the relationship between Britain and its colonies. No longer viewing its colonies purely in terms of economic self-interest, Britain began efforts to promote African education and welfare. This act set aside £5 million per year for economic aid to British colonies. British colonial officials came to believe that improving the educational, social, medical, and economic infrastructure of its colonies would lay the foundation for increased African participation in colonial administration. | 12 |
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| 1943 |
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| First Africans appointed to the executive council of the Gold Coast. | 13 |
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