African languages should be treated as instruments of governance and diplomacy\u2014not relics of cultural nostalgia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is the argument advanced by multilingual linguist and Hausa consultant Harouna Mahamat in a recent commentary calling for stronger recognition of African languages in leadership, public communication and development policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mahamat points to examples of African leaders choosing indigenous languages in public life as expressions of cultural confidence and connection with citizens. He references Ghana\u2019s President John Dramani Mahama addressing Niger\u2019s G\u00e9n\u00e9ral Abdourahamane Tiani in Hausa, Senegal\u2019s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye speaking publicly in Wolof, Uganda\u2019s President Yoweri Museveni using Runyankole, and other leaders embracing their mother tongues in official settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Mahamat, such choices represent more than linguistic preference\u2014they reflect cultural sovereignty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His commentary questions the tendency to celebrate African leaders for fluency in foreign languages while treating communication in African languages as secondary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo American president campaigns in Yoruba. No Chinese premier delivers policy in isiZulu,\u201d he argues, suggesting that Africa should not measure competence through external linguistic standards while sidelining its own languages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mahamat further argues that language shapes culture, worldview and development choices. In his view, sustainable transformation cannot be built while African languages remain underfunded or confined to informal spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The discussion connects directly with the African Union\u2019s Agenda 2063<\/strong>, particularly Aspiration 5<\/strong>, which calls for an Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage and shared values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Supporters of language-centred development argue that greater investment in African-language education, translation technologies, research institutions and media systems could strengthen citizen participation and inclusive growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The message behind the call is simple: Africa\u2019s cultural power should not be treated as a footnote to development, but as one of its foundations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":1441,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[337,10],"tags":[40,372,237,33,31,368,370,369,365,371,240,373,374,58,238],"class_list":["post-1438","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-agenda-2063","category-news","tag-acalan","tag-african-integration","tag-african-languages","tag-african-union","tag-agenda-2063","tag-cultural-heritage","tag-cultural-identity","tag-education-in-africa","tag-indigenous-languages","tag-language-diplomacy","tag-language-policy","tag-mother-tongue","tag-multilingualism","tag-pan-africanism-2","tag-sustainable-development"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n