Why was the trans saharan trade important?

Answer 1

Trans-Saharan trade is trade across the Sahara desert between Mediterranean countries and sub-Saharan Africa. A trade route is a logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. In spite of her vast geographical dimensions and natural extremes, the Sahara has never been a barrier which had completely isolated Black Africa from other civilisations, in the same sense as the Atlantic Ocean separated the New World from the Old.

While the Sudan, where the Empire of Ghana was situated, posessed a large amount of gold, the region lacked adequate salt for the survival of Empire's population. The Desert regions of present day Morocco and Algeria, however, contained huge salt resources, and desert inhabitants were always in search of valuables. Not surprisingly, the gold-salt trade between the Ghana Empire and the Arab desert merchants flourished.