English Speaking Countries in Africa – Have you ever wanted to know the full list of countries in Africa that speak the English Language? Yes, over 20 African countries speak the English language fluently, and you will get to see the list of all the countries in this article.
24 English-Speaking Countries in Africa
- South Africa
- Nigeria
- Ghana
- Sierra Leone
- Cameroon
- Malawi
- Zimbabwe
- Rwanda
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- Liberia
- Swaziland
- Kenya
- Somaliland
- Eritrea
- Lesotho
- Mauritius
- Botswana
- Namibia
- Saint Helena
- The Gambia
- Sudan
- Seychelles
- Zambia
South Africa
Eleven official languages in South Africa include English, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu, Pedi, Tsonga, Swazi and many others. English is the language of science and business in South Africa and the country’s lingua franca. It is the second most popular language in South Africa after Zulu.
At least 35 native South African languages are spoken in the country, 11 of which are recognized by the South African government as official: Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu, Afrikaans, and English. English is the main language of communication used in parliamentary and official debates and discussion despite the equality of all official languages in terms of the law.
Nigeria
It is stated that roughly 525 unique indigenous languages are spoken in Nigeria. English, once the colonial language of former British Nigeria, is the dominant language in Nigeria. According to a 2003 survey, 60 million Nigerians speak Nigerian English and Pidgin as a second language. Due to globalization, communication in the English language is far more common in the country’s urbanized towns than in its rural ones.
Ghana
English is the official language in Ghana.
About 80 languages are used for communication in Ghana. It is a multilingual country. The national and lingua franca of these is English, a vestige from colonial times. Akan is the most commonly used of Ghana’s native languages, particularly in the south. Dagbanli, the most commonly used language in Northern Ghana, is second.
Sierra Leone
English is Sierra Leone’s official language. It is the language spoken in schools, academic institutions, governance, politics, and media. Krio is the most popular language in Sierra Leone.
Cameroon
Cameroon has two official languages: French and English. French is the most popular and widely used language. German was once spoken across Cameroon but is no longer the most popular in the region. The government promotes the usage of both English and French as any documents in the country are written in both languages. Most universities in Cameroon use English and French.
Malawi
Malawi has English as the official language. The most popular language in Malawi is Chichewa. Other languages used in Malawi include Chitumbuka, Chinyanja, Chiyao and Kokola.
Zimbabwe
Although English is widely used in educational institutions and court houses in Zimbabwe, Shona and Ndebele are spoken by most Zimbabweans. English is mostly used in cities and urban areas; other indigenous languages are popular in rural areas and villages.
Rwanda
The major language in Rwanda is Kinyarwanda. In the 1990s, Rwandan refugees who spoke English returned to the country and promoted the usage of the language. So, Rwanda’s official languages are English, Kinyarwanda, French, and Swahili.
Tanzania
Tanzania is one of Africa’s most linguistically diverse countries, as more than 120 languages are spoken. Tanzania has no official language. English is primarily used in diplomacy, judiciary and academic institutions across Tanzania. There is an action plan to promote the use of Swahili as a language of unity.
Uganda
English is the official language of Uganda, followed by Swahili. Swahili is mostly spoken by members of the armed forces and paramilitary agencies.
Read: Top 10 Tourist Destinations in Africa
Final Word
As of the time this publication was made, I believe that there are some people out there who are looking for this piece of information. So you can help them find it by sharing with them on Facebook, Twitter, or WhatsApp with just a click on any of your preferred share buttons below…
Africa is the second-largest continent of the world with regard to both areas and population. Taking into consideration the diversity that it offers, it would be impossible not to have English-speaking countries.
However, this language was adopted during the British colonial rule and has not been let go of the language since.
Thanks for reading content awajis.com; kindly bookmark our site for your daily updates.
the official language of South Sudan is English and i have not seen it in the list