This archive report was first published on 20 August 2019.
On Saturday, the 39th Summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) took place, where a significant decision was made regarding the region's official languages.
As of the summit, Kiswahili has been adopted as a formal language in the region, making it the first indigenous language to be adopted at the inter-state level by SADC.
According to Prof Palamagamba Kabudi, Chairperson of the SADC council, the adoption of Kiswahili will begin with its use at the Council and Summit level for oral communication. This will eventually be extended to written official communication within SADC.
As an official language of the African Union, Kiswahili is predominantly used across East Africa and parts of Central Africa. Its adoption into the SADC bloc, comprising 16 countries, will facilitate a unified economy and enable cross-border trade across the region.
