Kiswahili expands global reach

DAR ES SALAAM: KISWAHILI is rapidly strengthening its position as one of Africa’s leading global languages, with its influence expanding across diplomacy, education, technology, tourism and international organisations.

Once largely spoken across East and Central Africa, the language is now gaining recognition worldwide, taught in leading universities, integrated into digital technologies and increasingly used as a tool for economic cooperation and cultural diplomacy.

The growing international profile of Kiswahili is expected to receive another boost during the Second International Kiswahili Conference, scheduled to take place from (today) July 4 to 7 in Paris, France, where experts will discuss the language’s expanding global role.

According to the Zanzibar Kiswahili Council (BAKIZA) Executive Secretary, Dr Mwanahija Ali Juma, Kiswahili has experienced remarkable growth in recent years, reflected in the increasing number of speakers as well as its expanding recognition across regional and international institutions.

She said Kiswahili is now spoken as either the first or second language by millions of people across East, Central and parts of Southern Africa, making it one of the continent’s most widely spoken languages.

Beyond its long-established status as Tanzania’s national language, Kiswahili has also been adopted as an official language by the East African Community (EAC), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU) and UNESCO, reflecting its growing importance in regional integration and international cooperation.

“The language has grown beyond national boundaries. It has become an international language that continues to strengthen its presence in major regional and global institutions,” Dr Juma said.

Education has become one of the strongest drivers of Kiswahili’s international expansion. Across Africa, the language is used as a medium of instruction and taught from primary school through university level, while internationally it is offered in leading institutions in the United States, China, Russia, Japan and several other countries.

Dr Juma said the increasing demand for Kiswahili extends beyond academic institutions. International visitors travelling to Tanzania are increasingly learning the language to better understand the country’s people, traditions and way of life.

“Kiswahili has become a language that many visitors want to learn,” she said. “Communities in tourist destinations are creating opportunities by teaching the language to visitors, generating income while sharing Tanzania’s cultural heritage.”

She said the growing interest has strengthened tourism by enabling visitors to engage more meaningfully with local communities, while creating employment opportunities for language instructors, tour guides and interpreters.

According to Dr Juma, Kiswahili has increasingly become one of Tanzania’s strongest cultural ambassadors, promoting the country’s identity and heritage beyond its borders.

The language’s expanding international profile is expected to receive further recognition during the Second International Kiswahili Conference in Paris. Dr Juma said the conference will provide a platform to showcase Tanzania’s culture, natural resources and investment opportunities, while reinforcing Kiswahili’s role in economic diplomacy.

“The conference provides an opportunity to present Tanzania to the world. It will promote our culture, our resources and our opportunities for international cooperation. Kiswahili is now an important instrument of economic diplomacy,” she said.

Beyond education and tourism, Kiswahili continues to expand its influence across the creative economy. The language has become firmly established in music, film, literature and academic publishing, with an increasing number of scholarly and creative works enhancing its international profile.

Global media organisations are also expanding Kiswahililanguage broadcasts, while social media platforms have significantly increased its everyday use, particularly among young people. Technology has emerged as another major driver of the language’s growth.

Kiswahili is now integrated into computers, smartphones, digital applications and online platforms, while artificial intelligence is increasingly supporting translation services and languageprocessing technologies, further strengthening its digital presence.

National Kiswahili Council of Tanzania (BAKITA) Chief Editor, Richard Mtambi, said the language’s remarkable progress is reflected in its growing international reach and expanding community of speakers. He estimates that approximately 500 million people now use Kiswahili worldwide, based on the number of countries where it is spoken and the universities across the globe that offer Kiswahili studies.

“Current estimates suggest that Kiswahili has around 500 million users worldwide,” Mr Mtambi said. He said UNESCO’s recognition of Kiswahili, including the establishment of World Kiswahili Language Day, marked a major milestone in elevating the language internationally. Efforts are also continuing to promote its wider use during meetings of the United Nations.

According to Mr Mtambi, Kiswahili’s international expansion has created employment opportunities in translation, interpretation, language teaching and academic research, while inspiring increasing numbers of people around the world to study the language.

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“You can now travel almost anywhere in the world and find Kiswahili speakers,” he said.

He added that publishing has played a significant role in supporting the language’s growth through an expanding collection of textbooks, dictionaries and scholarly publications that continue to strengthen Kiswahili as a language of education, research and knowledge production.

At the same time, Kiswahili continues to evolve by incorporating new vocabulary to reflect advances in science, technology and innovation, ensuring that it remains relevant in a rapidly changing world. Mr Mtambi said the language’s international reach is further supported through bilingual dictionaries and translation resources.

Alongside established English-Kiswahili dictionaries, the launch of a Kiswahili-Spanish dictionary in Havana, Cuba, in 2024 has expanded access to the language among Spanish-speaking communities. Government initiatives are also reinforcing Kiswahili’s continued development.

According to the 2026/27 budget speech presented to Parliament by the Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Paul Makonda, BAKITA is working with universities, government institutions and language specialists in terminology, linguistics and dialect studies to prepare the Second Major Kiswahili Standardisation Guide.

The minister said the Council is also conducting extensive research on vocabulary from related Bantu languages. So far, 1,371 words have been collected from languages including Luganda, Kinyarwanda, Lingala, Oshiwambo and isiZulu to enrich Kiswahili following its elevation within regional and international organisations.

He added that BAKITA has already standardised 420 sports-related terms as part of ongoing efforts to modernise and expand Kiswahili vocabulary.

Government figures further show that, as of April 2026, a total of 507 Tanzanians were teaching Kiswahili abroad, highlighting the language’s growing global demand.

With millions of speakers across Africa, recognition by major regional and international organisations, increasing adoption in higher education, rapid expansion in digital technologies and artificial intelligence, and sustained government investment in its development, Kiswahili is steadily evolving from a regional lingua franca into one of the world’s most influential African languages, strengthening Tanzania’s cultural footprint and opening new opportunities for education, business and international cooperation.