Niger’s military government has officially designated Hausa as the country’s national language, replacing French in what analysts see as another significant step to distance the nation from its former colonial ruler.
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According to a new charter published in the government’s official journal on March 31, “The national language is Hausa,” while “the working languages are English and French.” The document also grants official recognition to nine other local languages, including Zarma-Songhay, Fula, Kanuri, Gourmanche, and Arabic, which will now be classified as “the spoken languages of Niger.”
Hausa is the most widely spoken language in Niger, particularly dominant in the Zinder, Maradi, and Tahoua regions, and is understood by a large portion of the country’s 26 million citizens. By comparison, French is spoken by approximately 13 percent of the population—about three million people.
This language policy shift comes in the wake of a national conference held in February that strengthened the junta’s authority and granted its leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani, a mandate to remain in power for five years. Since overthrowing civilian president Mohamed Bazoum in a July 2023 coup, the military regime has systematically severed ties with France by expelling French troops, cutting diplomatic relations, and renaming streets and landmarks that bore French names.
Niger’s move mirrors similar actions taken by neighbouring military regimes in Mali and Burkina Faso—also former French colonies—which have likewise distanced themselves from France and withdrawn from the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), a post-colonial body similar to the Commonwealth.
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