Read the passage below carefully:
While the maritime routes of the Atlantic trade have long dominated modern historical analyses of pre-industrial West African political economies, internal terrestrial commerce—specifically the trans-Saharan salt trade—exerted a far more decisive structural influence on early state formation. Salt was not merely a dietary necessity; it served as a primary mechanism of fiscal governance, allowing medieval Sudanic rulers to institute uniform taxation, maintain administrative apparatuses, and project authority across vast territories. In contrast, gold served predominantly as an external export commodity with a minimal role in local statecraft. Therefore, the foundational institutions of early West African political centralization were rooted in the regulation of internal mineral logistics rather than external bullion markets.
Evaluate the following statement based on the passage:
"The primary thesis of the passage is that salt functioned as a mechanism of fiscal governance that enabled medieval Sudanic rulers to institute uniform taxation."
Answer: Answer