MOGADISHU – Somalia has announced plans to introduce Swahili into the country’s school and university curriculum as part of a wider effort to strengthen its integration into the East African Community.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said the government will speed up the process so that the language becomes part of Somalia’s education system at all levels.
The plan is in line with Somalia’s goal of aligning with the standards of the East African Community, which it joined in 2024 as the eighth member after Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Swahili is already recognised as an official language of both the East African Community and the African Union and is spoken by more than 200 million people.
During the 2nd East African Community Cooperation Conference held in Mogadishu, President Hassan said Somali universities should take a leading role in the promotion of Swahili.
He said the language will help build closer connections between Somalia and other member states of the regional bloc.
“The Somali National University, along with all Somali universities, must take the lead in promoting Swahili, the common language of the East African region,” he said.
The president’s call marks the first time Somalia has moved to formally incorporate Swahili as a working and instructional language alongside Somali, Arabic, and English.
The Ministry of Education has begun talks with regional institutions to develop a framework that will guide the introduction and teaching of Swahili in schools and higher education institutions.
Education Minister Farah Sheikh Abdulkadir said the government wants to see the language used widely in classrooms, trade, and communication.
“We are working to enhance the study and use of the Swahili language in Somalia. We want to see Swahili become a language of communication, trade, and learning, even replacing English during our next conference,” he said.
The National Higher Education Board, which was recently established to coordinate the development of universities, is working with the East African Universities Association and the East African Qualifications Framework to implement the plan.
The cooperation is expected to help harmonise education standards and qualifications between Somalia and other East African states.
Somalia’s decision to adopt Swahili also has social and historical roots. In the southern coastal regions of the country, such as Kismayo and Barawa, Swahili and related dialects have been spoken for generations.
Many Somali returnees from Kenya and Tanzania already use the language in daily life, and its spread has increased among young people who have studied or worked in other East African countries.
