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Niger’s military-led government has officially declared Hausa as the country’s new national language, marking a significant break from its colonial history by replacing French.
A new charter, published on March 31 in a special edition of the government’s official journal, states, “The national language is Hausa,” while “the working languages are English and French.”
In Niger, Hausa is the language that most people use, especially in the regions like Zinder, Maradi, and Tahoua. A lot of the country’s 26 million people can understand and speak Hausa.
Meanwhile, French is not as widely used, with only about 13 percent of the population, roughly three million people, speaking it.
The charter also recognizes nine other local languages—including Zarma-Songhay, Fula, Kanuri, Gourmanche, and Arabic—as “the spoken languages of Niger.”
This move follows a national conference held in February, which not only reinforced the ruling junta’s authority but also granted its leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani, a mandate to remain in power for five more years.
NKONKONSA.com
