The History of African Development – published by the African Economic History Network (AEHN) – aims to draw experts in the field of African History, Economics and African Development Studies together around an open access textbook. The textbook is primarily intended for teachers/lecturers and undergraduate students, at African universities, but also for an interested wider public audience. The AEHN is reaching out to all scholars willing to contribute a concise chapter (c. 5,000 words). The chapters describe and explain various aspects of historical African development trajectories in plain English language. All chapters include a list of suggested readings, data sources and study questions to test student’s comprehension. By offering this book in an open-source environment, the AEHN seeks to facilitate a wider diffusion of the knowledge that is generated within our academic network and support capacity building among a new generation of African historians and development practitioners worldwide. The book is used in teaching at numerous African universities, including: African School of Economics (Benin), University of Ghana, American University of Nigeria, Mountains of the Moon University (Uganda), Stellenbosch University (South Africa), University of Malawi, University of Zimbabwe etc. Also, Lund University’s online Diploma course on “African Development – from the past to the present” has been based on AEHN’s Textbook.