Agreement between Britain and France that concluded the partition of West Africa between the colonial powers by finally fixing the borders in the disputed areas of Northern Nigeria, signed in Paris on 14 June 1898
Fixed colonial borders in West Africa between Britain and France, completing the partition of the region and reducing bilateral territorial disputes.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- 14 June 1898
- Ratifications exchanged
- 13 June 1899
- Signing location
- Paris, France
- Supplementary declaration signed
- 21 March 1899, London
- Also known as
- Niger Convention
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Competing British and French colonial ambitions in West Africa created prolonged disputes over territorial boundaries, particularly in the region of Northern Nigeria and areas to the east and west of the Niger River, necessitating a formal bilateral resolution to prevent ongoing conflict over overlapping claims.
Britain and France signed the Anglo-French Convention in Paris on 14 June 1898, formally delimiting their respective colonial possessions and spheres of influence on both sides of the Niger River. Article IV was later supplemented by a declaration signed in London on 21 March 1899 addressing spheres of influence in northern Central Africa and the Sudan.
The convention concluded the partition of West Africa between the two powers by fixing borders in previously disputed areas of Northern Nigeria. The 1899 London declaration, following the Fashoda Incident, further resolved competing claims in the Sudan and northern Central Africa, reducing the risk of direct Anglo-French colonial confrontation.
Political Outcome
Borders in Northern Nigeria and surrounding disputed areas were formally delimited, completing the Anglo-French partition of West Africa; spheres of influence in Central Africa and the Sudan were subsequently defined by the 1899 London declaration.
Overlapping and disputed colonial claims between Britain and France in West Africa and Central Africa
Formally demarcated colonial borders reducing territorial ambiguity in West Africa, Northern Nigeria, and the Sudan