Mosques in West Africa have been a foundation point of growth, trade, and religion throughout both the region and Africa as a whole. Mosques served as not just a point of religion but also a center of trade and communal interaction. They provided a place for daily markets, and spiritual worship, while also being open and accessible to all- not just Muslims. This helped foster the growth of ancient towns, cities, and countries in West Africa as a whole.

Construction of Mosques in West Africa became common during the medieval period, especially as Islam spread throughout Africa along the trans-Saharan trade routes from the 13th century onwards, using less common materials to build these vertical and imposing structures than found anywhere else in the world.

• In West Africa they did not have such a diverse and extensive supply of more common building materials, leading them to use more creative and interesting methods to build strong structures that would last as long as the civilizations built around them. To them this meant using adobe (Clay bricks) and plaster reinforced with long wooden logs. This method of building would require much more regular upkeep than other more traditional and conventional techniques, though for what they had, served the purpose exceptionally.

All of these factors working together led to the greater development and expansion of religion, trade, and life as a whole in West Africa, proving vital to even modern day Africa.