What were the major empires that developed in west Africa and east?

The three most important empires were Ghana, Mali, and Songhai Empire. The Ghana Empire - was located in south of the Sahara desert and northwest of the Niger River in what is now Mauritania and Mali that lasted from the 6th to the 13th century CE. The Mali Empire - empire that lasted from 12th to 16th century. It was the largest empire in West Africa and with its profound cultural influences on West Africa it allows its language, laws and customs to spread along the Niger River. The Songhai Empire - a state that dominated in the 15th and 16th century. It was one of the largest kingdom in African history. Located on the middle reaches of the Niger River in what is now central Mali and extending west to the Atlantic coast and east into Niger and Nigeria.