Final answer:
Advanced ideas of science and math were introduced to West Africa through Islamic conquests and trade, and the influence of Arabic, Indian, and Persian knowledge during the Islamic Golden Age. The empires of Ghana and Mali were pivotal in this exchange due to their control over commodity trade. These civilizations were part of extensive networks that connected them with the Mediterranean, Islamic world, and later, European explorers.
Step-by-step explanation:
Advanced ideas of science and math made their way to West Africa through a complex interplay of trade, conquest, and cultural exchange. The Islamic military conquests in North Africa during the eighth century laid the groundwork for the diffusion of Islamic religious ideas. This spread continued via merchants, traders, and scholars along the trans-Saharan trade routes, linking North Africa with sub-Saharan societies. Cities like Gao and Koumbi Saleh, the capital of the Ghana Empire, became hubs for this exchange. The adoption of Islam by ruling elites further helped solidify these connections, leading to the introduction and assimilation of advances in mathematics, medicine, and astronomy that were flowering in the Muslim world into West African societies.
Notably, West African empires such as Ghana and Mali facilitated this transfer of knowledge by controlling and profiting from trade in commodities that connected them to the broader Mediterranean and Islamic world. The gold trade, in particular, helped forge these connections, with West African gold being used to mint coins like the dinar, which tied regional economies to the larger Islamic Caliphate. Contributions from scholars like Al-Khwarizmi, the inventor of algebra, were passed along these trade routes and influenced regional developments. Furthermore, the Portuguese exploration of the West African coast revealed highly evolved African societies that had long been part of extensive trade networks, contributing valuable goods to global commerce.