The west African kingdoms like Ghana, Mali and Songhai experienced prosperity through the trade of gold and salt which was of high value back then. Asked in Ancient History , History of Africa Mali trade products from the Salhelian grasslands included sheepskin, goatskin, books, cloth, iron, copper, salt, pearls, ivory, gold, rubber, leather, hides and slaves. Savannah region produced food crops and cash crops. Mali suffered a trade deficit till the 1970s. However, Mali trade has sluggishly developed over time. The rise of the Ghana Empire, now called Mali, Senegal, and southern Mauritania, paralleled the increase in trans-Saharan trade.Mediterranean economies were short of gold but could supply salt, taken by places like the African salt mine of Taghaza, whereas West African countries like Wangara had plenty of gold but needed salt. The trans-Saharan slave trade was also important because large