To what extent did changes in trade patterns lead to the decline of the Mali Empire?

The question requires that candidates consider the extent to which changes in trade patterns led to the decline of the Mali Empire. Candidates may refer to the ways in which control over the gold and salt trade routes were crucial to the rise of the empire, and how the emergence of rival empires—such as the Songhay, which sought to wrest away this control—together with the discovery of new goldfields outside of the Mali Empire, were integral to its demise. While other relevant factors, for example dynastic rivalries and weak leadership following the death of Mansa Musa, may be referred to, the bulk of the response will remain on the issue raised in the question.