Final answer:
European states, including Britain, did indeed expand their empires in West Africa, with Britain taking a significant role in the area now known as Ghana. The Berlin Conference of 1884 was instrumental in the division and colonization of Africa by European powers.
Step-by-step explanation:
It is true that European states expanded their empires in West Africa. Britain was indeed active in West Africa, particularly in the area known today as Ghana. During the 1600s, several European powers, including Britain, established forts along the western coast of Africa, which were primarily used as trading posts. By the 1800s, the British were supporting their trading partners against other local powers, such as in their conflicts with the Asante Empire during the Anglo-Asante Wars.
Throughout the 19th century, European colonization expanded significantly within Africa. The Berlin Conference of 1884, which included European colonial powers like Britain, France, Belgium, and Portugal, as well as the United States, was a pivotal event that divided Africa among these powers without regard for the existing kingdoms and cultural boundaries. Consequently, European countries colonized nearly the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa, with many of the boundaries established during the conference still remaining as the borders of African countries today.