Writing systems were independently invented multiple times across several ancient civilizations. Many of the world's alphabetic scripts originated from the Egyptian writing systems, which branched off into Proto-Sinaitic, South Arabian, Phoenician, Aramaic, Greek, Latin, Arabic, and numerous other scripts.

In Africa, the Meroitic, Ge’ez, and Libyco-Berber scripts were not directly derived from the older alphabetic scripts, but were essentially endogenous creations inspired by foreign examples.

In West Africa, the coexistence of multiple writing systems like Tifinaɣ, Nsibidi, Arabic, and Latin influenced the invention of new scripts during the 19th century. The development of these later scripts often involved local innovation inspired by contact with existing literate traditions rather than simple borrowing or imitation.

This essay introduces the history of the Tifinaɣ script and how it influenced the adoption of the Arabic script in medieval West Africa.