The infamous Berlin Conference that took place in 1884–1885 in Berlin, Germany set the stage for the colonization of Africa by the European powers.
Each colonial power would then bring and superimpose their rule as well as their culture to the African Country.
One of the major cultural shifts had to be language. The new colony had to learn and adapt to the language of the colonial master, and this is evident to date.
Britain and France took the lion’s share of the colonies, which explains linguistically why Africa is majorly divided into two: Anglophone and Francophone.
French is an official language in at least 21 African Countries but is spoken in at least 26 Countries while English is one of the main languages (either official or de facto working language) in 27 African Countries.
It is estimated that French is spoken by over 120 million Africans making it one of the most popular International Languages in Africa.
Swahili being the most spoken African language with over 100 million speakers was officially adopted by the 35th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly on 5-6th February 2022 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as a working language of the African Union and language of wider communication in Africa.
The other official languages of the AU include Arabic, English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.
According to the 2022 report of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), 450 million people speak French globally.
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Growth of French language in Africa
The OIF affirms that despite a decline in the number of learners of French in Europe, the overall number of speakers is augmenting, largely because of its presence in African countries: of the 350 million who use French daily, 73.9% are living in Africa.
This solidifies Africa as the home of the French language as it hosts the largest number of francophones in the world. The OIF further estimates that Africa could represent over 85 percent of the Francophone world by 2050 which it says is about 700 million speakers.
So what does this imply for Africans? Any serious professional or businessperson keen on growing in Africa should consider learning French.
French is largely a diplomatic language and the second most preferred language for business in the world.
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It is an official language in international organisations such as African Union, European Union, United Nations, FIFA, Médecins sans Frontières, Interpol, Amnesty International, COMESA, Francophonie, Interpol, International Criminal Court, World Health Organisation, World Trade Organisation amongst many others.
All these organisations are avenues for employment for Bilingual speakers especially French and English.
If French is growing in Africa faster than anywhere else in the world, it is only prudent that all professionals and businessmen learn and adapt it for business and professional growth. The old adage will thus ring true, if you can’t beat them, join them!
