EAC adds Kiswahili and French as official languages

The decision was made at the 24th Ordinary Summit of the East African Heads of State in Tanzania, where amendments to Article 137 of the EAC treaty were signed and approved.

Article 137 of the treaty had recognized English as the region's official language and Kiswahili to be developed as a lingua franca (common language) of the Community.

The EAC lacked a policy to make Kiswahili a formally recognised language in all its eight member states.

Currently, Kiswahili is widely spoken in Tanzania and Kenya and partly used in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Somalia.

French is the official language in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo and Rwanda.

President William Ruto was also appointed as the new EAC chairperson for the year 2024/25 and President Hussein Mohamud (Somalia) as the rapporteur.

The position was previously held by South Sudan's President Salva Kiir.

Ruto committed to advancing peace, stability and economic development to bolster intra-EAC trade and investment.

"Trade remains a key engine for economic growth and regional integration. On account of this, we must address internal barriers to intra-East African Community (EAC) trade," Ruto said.

"We must eliminate non-tariff barriers, enhance infrastructure connectivity and foster regulatory harmonization. This will create a seamless trading environment, driving our competitiveness and economic growth."