Niger military government has officially made Hausa the country’s new national language, moving away from its colonial past where French played a central role.

Since taking over in a coup in July 2023, which removed the country’s civilian president, Mohamed Bazoum, the junta has been cutting off ties with France.

The change was announced in a new charter released on March 31, published in a special edition of the government’s official journal, naming the national language as Hausa,” and “the working languages as English and French.”

Hausa is already the most commonly spoken and understood language by about 26 million people across Niger, especially in the Zinder, Maradi, and Tahoua regions; only around three million people, just 13 per cent, can speak French.

The new charter also officially lists nine other local languages, including Zarma-Songhay, Fula, Kanuri, Gourmanche, and Arabic, as “the spoken languages of Niger.”

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