This course provides insights into the processes involved in the formation of the early major politics in the savannah (Ghana, Mali, Songhai) of West Africa. It enables students to understand the political, economic and social institutions created in these politics before the coming of European to Africa during the modern era. The course also exposes students to the consequences of European exploration of the West Africa coast. This course enables students to acquire adequate knowledge about the modes of polity formation and organization and the role of great personalities and external influences in these political processes. It further enables students to clearly conceptualize the phenomenon of decline and fall in the early state formation processes in West Africa.