Final answer:
Great Zimbabwe and West African kingdoms like Ghana and Mali both controlled extensive trade networks and had complex hierarchical societies with monumental architecture, signifying their wealth and power.
Step-by-step explanation:
One similarity between Great Zimbabwe and West African kingdoms, such as Ghana and Mali, is their control and dominance of regional trade networks. Both Great Zimbabwe and the West African kingdoms accumulated wealth and power by controlling the trade in gold, ivory, and other commodities. They facilitated trade networks that connected them with distant markets in Europe, the Near East, and Asia.
Furthermore, both regions developed complex societies with hierarchical structures and produced monumental architecture. Great Zimbabwe is known for its enormous stone walls and structures, just as West African societies built impressive structures signifying their power and wealth. Their social and economic structures were similarly centered around a ruling elite who governed the trade and political life of their respective kingdoms.