Hausa

Hausa is the most widely spoken language within the Chadic branch of the Afroasiatic language family. It serves as a lingua franca across West Africa and is particularly important for trade and commerce. Hausa has an extensive written tradition and a rich body of poetry and prose.

Hausa has been a major trade language in West Africa for over a millennium. The Hausa city-states were centers of commerce connecting trans-Saharan trade routes. The language was written in an Arabic-based script called Ajami until the early 20th century when Latin script was adopted.