Niger’s military government has officially declared Hausa as the country’s national language, replacing is official French language.
The announcement came via a new charter published in a special edition of the government’s official journal.
The document states unequivocally: “The national language is Hausa,” while also noting that English and French will remain as “working languages.”
Hausa is already the most widely spoken language in Niger, particularly dominant in regions like Zinder, Maradi, and Tahoua. An estimated majority of the nation’s 26 million citizens speak or understand Hausa, in stark contrast to the 13%—about three million people—who are proficient in French.
The charter also recognises nine other indigenous tongues, including Zarma-Songhay, Fula, Kanuri, Gourmanche, and Arabic, as part of “the spoken languages of Niger,” further affirming the country’s multilingual identity.
