Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – 26 August 2015: The African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has met with the Outgoing Executive Secretary of the African Academy of Languages ACALAN Prof. Sozinho Francisco Matsinhe, who was at the AU Commission to bid farewell before retirement.

ACALAN is a specialized institution of the African Union mandated to develop and promote the use of African languages in all the domains of the society.

In their discussion, Professor Matsinhe presented the Chairperson with a book co-produced by ACALAN entitled Language Rich Africa: Policy Dialogue”. He also informed the Chairperson of an on-going project by African language experts to produce a KiSwahili language course, as part of the effort to promote the use of African languages.

“I believe that Africa can move quickly if it has a common language that we all can communicate in, notwithstanding the use of the other languages”, the AUC Chairperson responded, while endorsing the usefulness of the new production.

In a protocol on the amendments to the Constitutive Act of the African Union adopted by the 2nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union in Maputo, Mozambique on 11 July 2003, KiSwahili is one of the official languages of the Union. WZM

For information:

Wynne Musabayana | Deputy Head of Division | Information and Communication Directorate | African Union Commission | Tel: (251) 11 551 77 00 | Fax: (251) 11 551 78 44 | E-mail: MusabayanaW@africa-union.org | Web: www.au.int|Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

Directorate of Information and Communication

Directorate of Information and Communication | Information and Communication | African Union Commission
Tel: +251-11-5517700 | Fax: | E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org | Web:www.au.int

Addis Ababa | Ethiopia