Once again, the African Academy of Languages (ACALAN) and advocates for African languages are leading the continent and the world in celebrating African Languages Week (ALW) from February 21-28, 2026. Since its launch in 2021, this continental celebration, held in each of the 55 member states, has provided a platform to assess the yearly progress made in implementing African language initiatives across the continent.
As part of the celebrations, ACALAN will join African language experts in Accra, Ghana, both physically and online from February 23rd to 28th, 2026, during the African Languages Conference. The theme is “Narrating Our Water and Sanitation Stories in African Languages,” aligning with the AU’s theme for the year 2026/2027.
The primary goal of the ALW Celebrations is to raise awareness, promote appreciation, and encourage the use of Africa’s diverse languages, highlighting their crucial role in cultural identity, social cohesion, peace, and sustainable development. The week will be the official launch of the ACALAN 20-year anniversary celebrations since its establishment in 2006. The convening will also be an avenue to reflect on how to develop new projects, engage partners, and align the ACALAN activities within the broader perspective of the AU theme of the year.
The anticipated outcomes of the African Languages Week celebrations include advocating for linguistic empowerment to ensure digital inclusion, justice, and sustainable growth. These celebrations serve as a call to action to empower African languages as essential tools for progress and heritage preservation.