Niger’s military government has officially declared Hausa as the country’s new national language, severing yet another link to its French colonial legacy.
The announcement, made through a new national charter released on March 31, indicates a dramatic cultural shift for the West African nation.
“The national language is Hausa,” the charter proclaims, while English and French will remain as working languages.
Hausa, already the most widely spoken language in Niger, especially dominant in the Zinder, Maradi, and Tahoua regions, is understood by the vast majority of the country’s 26 million citizens.
In stark contrast, only about 13 percent of the population speaks French.
The new charter also recognizes nine additional indigenous languages, including Zarma-Songhay, Fula, Kanuri, Gourmanche, and Arabic, as “the spoken languages of Niger,” solidifying a push to embrace local heritage and identity.
This sweeping linguistic reform comes amid a wave of nationalist sentiment under General Abdourahamane Tiani, who seized power in a coup in July 2023, ousting President Mohamed Bazoum.
During a recent rally of support, the junta leader was granted a five-year mandate to remain in power.
Since the coup, Niger has been systematically erasing remnants of French influence, expelling French troops, severing diplomatic ties, and renaming roads and landmarks once adorned with French names.
Niger’s move mirrors similar shifts in neighboring former French colonies like Mali and Burkina Faso, both now under military rule.
These countries have also exited the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, a French-language equivalent to the Commonwealth, signaling a growing regional rejection of Francophone dominance.
Credit: PUNCH