Mansa Musa (late 13th century–1332)
The third ruler of the Mandé Empire in West Africa, Musa extended his kingdom from its origin point in modern-day Mali as far as Morocco, Gambia and Nigeria; he presided over 8 million people, double the population of 14th-century Europe.
He was the first African ruler to make a pilgrimage to Mecca, and the first to found a university (in Timbuktu).
Most notably, his economic policies turned Mali into the world’s chief exporter of gold, causing it to dominate the global economy for over three generations and permanently alter global trade.
