Why did Britain and France compete for influence along the Niger River?

Britain and France competed for influence along the Niger River primarily due to the strategic and economic value of the region during the late 19th-century Scramble for Africa.1

For Britain, the Niger River was a vital artery for the lucrative palm oil trade, which had become a cornerstone of its economic interests in the Niger delta following the abolition of the slave trade. British traders and the Royal Niger Company sought to secure and expand this commercial dominance, leading them to establish treaties with local emirs to control trade routes.234

France, meanwhile, viewed the Sudan as a highly productive and populated zone of western Africa. Having established a foothold in the Sénégal River region, French forces pushed eastward, using the upper Niger as a "highway" for rapid expansion. By the 1890s, French military advances threatened to link their territories with the lower Niger, directly challenging British commercial interests. This rivalry was characterized by mutual suspicion and the desire of both powers to establish "effective occupation" of African territories to secure their respective spheres of interest.512