It is sad when people think that Muslims in Africa are new converts to Islam. It is a true reality that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) sent his Companions to Africa before he sent them anywhere else.
There is a deep history of Islam in Africa. Muslims settled there. They did dawah there. They traded with people there, they lived among the people there. That is how so many Africans became Muslims not through war.
There is a huge misconceptions when people say that Muslims from Africa are newcomers. In essence you are denying your history and knowledge. We shouldn’t deny a piece of our history.