Somalia to Teach Swahili Nationally as Part of East African Integration

 Somalia to Teach Swahili Nationally as Part of East African Integration

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has announced plans to accelerate the introduction of Swahili into Somalia’s national curriculum for schools and universities as part of efforts to deepen the country’s integration within the East African Community (EAC).

Swahili — East Africa’s lingua franca and one of the continent’s most widely spoken languages — will be promoted as both a working and instructional language alongside Somali, Arabic, and English. The initiative aligns with Somalia’s new membership in the EAC and reflects the government’s commitment to regional unity.

Speaking at the 2nd East African Community Cooperation Conference (EACON2025) in Mogadishu, President Mohamud urged Somali universities to take the lead in teaching and promoting Swahili across the country.

“The Somali National University and all other universities in the country must lead the way in promoting Swahili — the common language of the East African region,” President Mohamud said.

Minister of Education Farah Sheikh Abdulkadir confirmed that the government is working with regional institutions to develop a framework for nationwide Swahili education.

“We want to see Swahili become a language of communication, trade, and learning — even replacing English during our next conference,” the minister added.

The newly established National Higher Education Board is collaborating with the East African Universities Association and the East African Qualifications Framework to implement the initiative.

Spoken by over 200 million people across East and Central Africa, Swahili is already an official language of both the African Union and the East African Community.

Somalia officially joined the EAC in 2024, becoming the bloc’s eighth partner state alongside Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).