Yeah they did. In central Africa they finally discovered the usage of crude iron tools some time in the late 1400s and were well on their way to learning the intricacies of the wheel and the usage of draft animals within the next 3-400 years if we had left them undisturbed. Hell they even had their first great empire (The Zulu, who in my opinion were a primitive early tribal iron weapon analogue of the Assyrian Empire) emerging back in the late 1800s where they started working out a primitive legal system and were close to discovering currency and even a system of writing.
Yeah they did. In central Africa they finally discovered the usage of crude iron tools some time in the late 1400s and were well on their way to learning the intricacies of the wheel and the usage of draft animals within the next 3-400 years if we had left them undisturbed. Hell they even had their first great empire (The Zulu, who in my opinion were a primitive early tribal iron weapon analogue of the Assyrian Empire) emerging back in the late 1800s where they started working out a primitive legal system and were close to discovering currency and even a system of writing.
Iron has been used in Sub-Saharan Africa for a lot longer. Whether its use was discovered there or the knowledge came from outside is not known.: https://africa.si.edu/exhibitions/current-exhibitions/striking-iron-the-art-of-african-blacksmiths/africas-iron-origins-archeological-evidence/