From Symbol to Structure: Call to Make African Languages Central to AU Integration

By JarranewsTV Staff Reporter
February 24, 2026

A former senior official of the has urged the new leadership of the to move beyond symbolic recognition of African languages and embed them fully into the Union’s day-to-day governance and integration agenda.

In an open letter addressed to the Chairperson of the Commission in , , former Executive Secretary of the (ACALAN), argued that Africa’s development ambitions cannot be realised without linguistic inclusion at institutional level.

Drawing on more than 15 years of service within the AU system, Dampha said that while African identity is often celebrated in official rhetoric, the Union’s operations remain dominated by inherited colonial languages, limiting citizen participation and weakening democratic legitimacy. He warned that policies developed in languages inaccessible to most Africans risk alienating the very people continental integration is meant to serve.

According to Dampha, the challenge is particularly urgent as the AU advances flagship initiatives such as and implements . He stressed that trade, peace, digital transformation and governance reforms require communication systems that ordinary Africans can understand and own.

The letter calls for practical action rather than new declarations. Among the key proposals are the full operationalisation of Kiswahili as a working language of the Union, including dedicated budget lines, permanent interpretation and translation staff, and the strengthening of the Pan-African interpretation and translation infrastructure under ACALAN.

Dampha also highlighted the risk of African languages being marginalised in the digital era, urging the AU to invest in terminology development, open-source linguistic data, and the localisation of digital public services. He further proposed turning African Languages Week and the ongoing Decade of African Languages into accountability platforms, requiring member states to report measurable progress.

A central recommendation is the creation of an African Languages Development Fund to finance translation of treaties, harmonisation of writing systems, advanced training programmes, and public service broadcasting in African languages.

In conclusion, Dampha argued that African languages should be treated as strategic infrastructure, not cultural ornaments. “A Union that speaks to its people in their own voices,” he wrote, “is a Union that truly belongs to them.”

The open letter positions linguistic inclusion as a core test of the new Commission’s commitment to deepening continental integration, citizen ownership and Africa-centred development.