1616-1863: The Gold Coast and the Bight of Benin collectively supplied approximately one-quarter of all captives transported in the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

1616-1863: The Gold Coast and the Bight of Benin collectively supplied approximately one-quarter of all captives transported in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. While the Gold Coast was initially focused on gold exports, it became a major source of captives after 1700, with ports like Anomabu and Cape Coast Castle emerging as massive hubs for the trade. The Bight of Benin, specifically through ports like Ouidah and Lagos, remained one of the largest sources of labor for the Americas throughout the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The Gold Coast branch of slave traffic was largely shut down by the early 1820s, reflecting the impact of British abolitionist enforcement in that sector.