What were some key factors leading to the downfall of empires of ghana, mali, and songhai?

Downfall of Mali Empire:Weakened by attacks and internal rewbellion. The Mali lost it's hold on the Gold and Salt trade. The Songhai empire was then able to grow in power and take previously held Mali territories. Downfall of Songhai Empire: The moroccan armies invaded songhai, which led the fall of songhai empire. Downfall of Ghana Empire:In the 11th century, when the Almoravids, a militant confederation of Muslims, began to attack the empire and even conquered it for a time. Though their grip on power did not last long, the chaos they brought to the region destabilized trade, hurting the empire's sources of income.

Read more on -

Climate change and struggles with Berber groups in the Sahara led to the downfall of the Ghanaian Kingdom

Later kings followed the patrilineal tradition, where the eldest son succeeds the father. Since there seems to have been no strict tradition, there were many fights over succession. This led to civil wars and was a large part of the reason why the Mali Empire declined.

Like the Mali Empire, the Songhai Empire also suffered from many battles over succession. In Songhai, the brothers of the king often tried to depose him; in turn, some kings tried to protect themselves by killing all their brothers. The last great battle for succession occurred when a great army general challenged a new king. Many men were killed in the battle for control of the country and the Songhai army was weakened. When troops from Morocco invaded to seize control of and revive the trans-Saharan trade in gold, the Songhai Empire could not win and was conquered, making this the last of the great West African empires.