加纳帝国，或称加纳王国，非洲一古代黑人王国，中心约在尼日尔河中上游地区。加纳帝国的强盛时期约在西元9世纪－11世纪，统治着撒哈拉沙漠以南的西非地区，包含毛里塔尼亚东南部和马里西部。西元前1500年，这区域便已有结构复杂的社会组织，在帝国中心区域，类似的社会结构出现于西元三百年。因为关于加纳帝国的第一笔记录已是在帝国晚期，关于加纳帝国的统治王朝的确切时间从何时兴起不得而知，不过学者普遍认为是在八世纪附近。该帝国在花剌子密的著作中首次被提及。该帝国已懂得驯养骆驼的技术，时间早于穆斯林和伊斯兰教徒，由此逐渐对当时的商业活动产生影响。利用骆驼运输，商人们大规模地向北方和东方拓展活动范围，所及达到北非、中东及欧洲等人口稠密的区域。

The "Ghana Empire" (c. 300 until c. 1200) is properly known as Awkar: Ghana or Ga'na was the title of its ruler; however, it is commonly referred to as Ghana. It was located in what is now southeastern Mauritania and western Mali. Complex societies based on trans-Saharan trade with salt and gold had existed in the region since ancient times But the introduction of the camel to western Sahara in the 3rd century A.D. gave way to great changes in the area that became the Ghana Empire. By the time of the Muslim conquest of North Africa in the 7th century the camel had changed the ancient more irregular trade routes into a trade network running from Morocco to the Niger river. The Ghana empire grew rich from this increased trans-Saharan trade in gold and salt allowing for larger urban centres to develop. It further more encouraged territorial expansion to gain control over the different trade-routes.