Wank Chadic

The Chadic languages form a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are spoken in parts of the Sahel. They include 150 languages spoken across northern Nigeria, southern Niger, southern Chad, Central African Republic and northern Cameroon. The most widely spoken Chadic language is Hausa, a lingua franca of much of inland Eastern West Africa.
Wank Chadic so that it becomes the most widespread language in West Africa. Below is a map showing the OTL distribution of Chadic today(2018). Perhaps Chadic could cover the area within the green line? Try to wank Chadic as much as possible.

Map of the distribution of Chadic
Afroasiatic modded.png
 
The preceding existence of a more successful Chadic-speaking empire in such a region could help. Perhaps through having Kanem survive past the 14th century rather than relocating to Bornu? Granted, there's still the agricultural issue, but replacing the succession system of the empire from brother-to-brother to father-to-son could do some part of the trick, i think.
 
Have the Sokoto Caliphate conquer all of Yorubaland and Igboland with Hausa as the lingua franca. This could be done just before the British take over Lagos.

Major hurdle is the tsetse fly...have them improvise with Hausa infantry the further south they came.
 
Yeah, best bet is increasing the political/economic power of the Hausa - a Hausa-dominated West African empire is ideal.

But of course, you said Chadic, so it doesn't have to be Hausa, could be any of the other Chadic languages. Choose your favorite accident of history, and one of the other Chadic-speaking tribes could become ascendant instead of the Hausa.
 
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