AU’s specialised institution mandated to develop and promote African languages, the African Academy of Languages, is working towards promoting Kiswahili as one of Africa’s common languages.It has entered into a partnership with the East African Kiswahili Commission to “promote wide use of Kiswahili for regional integration and sustainable development.” . African countries have adopted several official languages including English, French, Arabic and Portuguese, depending on their colonial heritage.The push to incorporate Kiswahili a pan-African lingua franca becomes significant in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA).
The AU Extra-Ordinary Summit and the first AfCTA meeting is scheduled to take place in Niamey, Niger on July 7th with the participation of several African leaders.
