Somalia Adopts Swahili in Schools

Somalia will introduce Swahili alongside English and Arabic in schools and universities to strengthen regional integration and foster trade, communication, and cultural ties within the East African Community.

Somalia is set to introduce Swahili as an official language of instruction in schools and universities, alongside English and Arabic, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has announced. The decision, revealed during an East African Community (EAC) summit in Mogadishu, marks a significant cultural and educational reform aimed at deepening Somalia’s integration into the regional bloc it formally joined last year.

With more than 200 million speakers across East and Central Africa, Swahili is recognised as one of the continent’s most widely spoken and unifying languages. President Mohamud said the adoption of Swahili would help foster closer ties between Somalia and its neighbours, promoting regional communication, trade, and social cohesion.

“The country’s universities, especially the Somali National University, should focus on developing the Swahili language, which is the language of East Africa,” the president stated. He described the policy as a key step towards making Somalia “a fully integrated member of the East African Community.”

Education Minister Farah Sheikh Abdulkadir added that the government’s ambition is for Swahili to become a common language in schools, public institutions, and commerce. “We want Swahili to be a language of communication, trade, and learning—eventually even replacing English in official settings,” he said.

Swahili dialects are already spoken along Somalia’s southern coast, but the language’s wider adoption has accelerated in recent years, partly due to regional migration during the country’s decades-long conflict. Many Somalis who fled to Kenya and Tanzania during the civil war have since returned fluent in Swahili, helping to strengthen linguistic and cultural links.

The move also reflects Somalia’s broader effort to rebuild its education system, which has undergone significant restructuring since the civil war. Currently, Somali is used in primary education, while English dominates secondary and tertiary instruction, and Arabic is taught mainly in religious schools.

Analysts say the introduction of Swahili could enhance Somalia’s diplomatic and economic opportunities within the EAC, opening new channels for collaboration and exchange. It also carries symbolic weight—signalling a move away from isolation and towards regional solidarity after years of conflict and instability.

For many Somalis, the language shift represents more than an educational change—it is a declaration of identity and belonging. As one Mogadishu teacher put it, “Speaking Swahili is not just about words; it’s about finally speaking the same language as our neighbours.”