The craton appears to have formed when three Archean cratons fused: Leo-Man-Ghana, Taoudeni and Reguibat.
The West African Craton underlies the modern countries of Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo and Benin.