FOLLOWING a request from Vice-President Dr. Phillip Mpango, the African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government have recognized Kiswahili (a.k.a: Swahili)as one of the bloc’s official working languages.
Dr. Mpango claimed that Kiswahili is one of Africa’s most widely spoken languages, with almost 100 million people speaking it both inside and outside the continent.
“Kiswahili is already in use in various communities including the East African Community (EAC), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) as well as a teaching language in many African countries,” he said.
In addition, he stated that the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has designated July 7 as World Kiswahili Language Day.
The two-day meeting also discussed the impact of COVID-19 on the continent, as well as the urgent need to combat the scourge of unlawful government changes and terrorism across the continent.
During the event, Tanzania was also voted to the African Union’s Peace and Security Council.
The African Union’s Peace and Security Council is a 15-member council made up of members states from each of the bloc’s five regions, and it is the African Union’s standing decision-making body for conflict prevention, management, and resolution on the continent.
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