A loose association of small states along the Gold Coast (Ghana) in West Africa. Having migrated from the north in the 17th century, the Fanti served as middlemen between the slave and gold-producing states of the African interior and European traders along the coast. The coastal states were threatened by the rise of Asante power in Kumasi in the 19th century, and they supported the British in the Asante Wars. The Fanti played a prominent role in the affairs of Ghana after independence in 1957.