Which two countries controlled key african ports for repairing and supplying ships?

The two counties that controlled key African ports are United Kingdom and France. Red represents United Kingdom. Blue represents France. This period is known as the period of scramble for Africa, wherein European countries are contesting for the access for the African ports. During the later part of the early 20th century Germany joined the fray. It was represented by the color Beige. Most port cities are found on the eastern coast of Africa, facing the Atlantic. 

They made a checks and balance system to equal power within the branches. the "check" meant that one branch would watch one branch and "balance" them if they were too powerful. if you want more info on this, i would just google checks and balance system.