Nigeria Lesson Plan

NIGERIAN WOMEN AS TRADERS
by Natasha Cooper

INQUIRY QUESTIONS:

How does a woman trader in Nigeria differ from a woman retailer in the United States?

OBJECTIVES:

The student will participate in a simulation.

STANDARDS:

Standard 4:The physical and human characteristics of places
Standard 11: The patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth's surface

THEMES:

Movement

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES:

Interpersonal
Bodily Kinesthetic
Logical Mathematical

MATERIALS:

Monopoly money or naira
small mat or blanket
a lean-to

ACTIVITY:

1. Assign female students the following roles depending on the number of females in the class: palm oil trader general goods such as soal, cookies, small grocery items that are imported or packaged in Nigeria, tailor, cloth sales, gari, yams, eggs, ground nuts, fruit and vegetables. There can be several females with one kind of trading.
2. Have the student bring items or make items that can be sold or traded and make a stand.
3. In converting money one naira equals one penny or 100 naira equals one dollar. Have students make a list of items they are going to sell and the price list.
4. Begin the selling with other members of the class as customes.

ASSESSMENT:

Write a reaction paper to their experience either as a trader or a customer and their participation.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

The customer often develops a relationship with the trader through casual conversation. Examples of conversation include, "How was the night?" and you always respond "well" regardless; "How are the children?" and "How is the tiredness?" When making a purchase, it is important to start with pleasant conversation before discussing business. One never pays the asking price for an item. It is customary to barter until a price is agreed upon by the buyer and seller.

Due to different cultures in Nigeria there are differences in trading. For example, in the north there are few women involved because of the Muslim influence while in the south most traders are women. In the north, the women seldom leave the compound and if they do they are covered from head to toe in the traditional black dress or the Muslim.

In the south there is more aggressive trading. Women are the predominant traders there. Trading is a good profession for women because it is so flexible. This is important in Nigeria because women have so much responsibility at home. They must tend the children and prepare the evening meal. By trading, the woman can leave early to go home and prepare dinner. Because dinner is late in the day it works very well. Some traders are men and they may go worldwide in search of products while the woman runs the shop. Differences in trading may be both by region and ethnic group.

There are markets located in all villages. The most traditional market is the kings market, which is adjacent to the palace. This is very obvious in the city structure of Nigeria's urban areas. The kings market is always the first to be established. However, things are changing from the traditional to the modern market. This is evident in the metropolitan areas where there are many markets established through urban planning so that there will be less congestion. It is important to note that trading may be a family tradition established through several generations that trade in the same commodity.

Some new markets have no formal arrangements. Traders buy the products from the farmers, etc. Early in the morning the market products are generally cheaper and the market is less crowded. However, there are different kinds of market. The most expensive is the lockable shop, while others are open-air markets. Frequently, the trader will simply lay the mat down and begin operating. Now days some are similar to what we would call strip malls or shopping centers. There are day markets, night markets, and periodic markets. Night markets begin about 6:00-7:00 PM and the periodic market may be open only once each week. It depends on how important the market is as to how often it is held. In metropolitan areas the market is a daily phenomenon.

If the husband owns the merchandise, the wife must turn the money over to him. However, if the wife owns the merchandise, she may keep the money. Many households still operate with one purse and in that case the man is the head of the household and all money is turned over to him.

There may be some rent involved because local governments often own the market structure itself. This would be a similar arrangement to a strip mall. Sometimes the market may seem quite disorganized but more often the market is arranged with similar products located in the same place.

Trading is a cash and carry enterprise. You pay cash for the product you intend to sell and expect to be paid in cash. This is a daily occurrence. For example, if you were selling vegetables you would purchase what you can afford to purchase and resell each day. The result is that few if any records are maintained by the trader. Often the trader provides 50% of the family income. Traders do not use banks, credit cards or checks.