Tanzania pushes for Kiswahili’s global conquest with 20 learning centres established

ARUSHA: THE Minister of Information, Culture, Arts, and Sports, Paul Makonda, said the Tanzanian government is working to create an enabling environment for opportunities in the Kiswahili language, including interpreting, translation, editing, writing, media broadcasting, and teaching Kiswahili to foreigners.

Minister Makonda made these remarks today, March 24, 2026, in Arusha during the opening of the Kiswahili Media Conference. He noted that the government, through relevant councils, has established 20 Kiswahili centers abroad via Tanzanian embassies and 35 centers within the country.

This represents a significant increase from five years ago, when only two centers operated abroad and three domestically. Tanzania remains the only country that has successfully opened Kiswahili teaching centers outside its borders.

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Minister Makonda emphasized that the Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts, and Sports, in collaboration with the Ministry of Information, Arts, Culture, and Sports of Zanzibar, through Kiswahili councils BAKITA and BAKIZA, will continue implementing all directives aimed at promoting and advancing the Kiswahili language nationally and internationally.