The songhay empire's major trading center was timbuktu gao jenne mali

 the songhay empire major trading center was the answer is timbuktu

Timbuktu

Explanation:

The Songhay empire is a state that is dominated by the west Sahel region in the 15 and the 16 century.  And was one of the largest states in the African history and most important cities of empire was the Timbuktu, here the urban trade centre flourished and was later replaced by the Askia dynasty. The Songhay economy was based on the clan system and at the top were the noblemen and their descendants followed by the traders and freemen.