Somalia to Introduce Swahili in Schools for Regional Unity

In a bid to strengthen ties with East Africa, Somalia is set to add Swahili to its national curriculum, recognizing its significance as a regional lingua franca.

Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced the introduction of Swahili in schools and universities at an East African Community summit in Mogadishu. Currently, English is the primary language of instruction, with Arabic being the only other compulsory second language taught.

The decision comes as Somalia seeks to bolster its economic ties within the eight-nation regional trading bloc, which it officially joined last year. With more than 200 million speakers, Swahili is not only crucial for regional integration but also heralded as one of the world’s 10 most widely spoken languages.

‘The country's universities should focus more on developing the Swahili language, which is the language of East Africa,’ noted President Mohamud. Education Minister Farah Sheikh Abdulkadir expressed ambitions for Swahili to become a staple in communication and trade, potentially even surpassing English during future conferences at the EAC.

Swahili is already spoken along Somalia's southern coast and has gained popularity nationwide in recent years, largely due to the civil conflict and the influx of refugees who have learned it in neighboring Kenya. As the country stabilizes, many former refugees are returning, bringing with them their knowledge of Swahili, further solidifying the language's role in Somalia's cultural landscape.

This educational reform signals an important step toward enhancing regional collaboration, setting the stage for a more unified and prosperous East Africa in the future.