Niger dumps French, adopts Hausa as official language

Niger's government has taken a step to move away from its colonial past.

They have officially adopted Hausa as the national language.

This decision was announced in a new charter last week.

The charter was published in a special edition of the official journal.

The military government stated that French is no longer the official language.

From now on, “the national language is Hausa.”

However, English and French will still be used as working languages.

Hausa has been the most commonly spoken language in Niger.

It is especially prevalent in regions like Zinder, Maradi, and Tahoua.

Reports indicate that about 26 million people live in Niger.

Most of them understand and speak Hausa.

In contrast, only around three million people speak French.

That’s just 13 percent of the total population.

The new charter also recognizes nine other local languages.

These include Zarma-Songhay, Fula, Kanuri, Gourmanche, and Arabic.

They are now listed as “the spoken languages of Niger.”