Niger’s military-led government has officially adopted Hausa as the national language, replacing French in a clear move away from its colonial past.
“The national language is Hausa,” the junta declared in a new constitutional charter published on March 31. English and French will remain “working languages,” according to the same document.
Hausa is the most widely spoken language in Niger, especially in the regions of Zinder, Maradi, and Tahoua. It is understood by a significant majority of the country’s 26 million citizens, while French is spoken by only about 13%—roughly three million people.
The new charter also officially recognizes nine other local languages—including Zarma-Songhay, Fula, Kanuri, Gourmanche, and Arabic—as “the spoken languages of Niger.”
This policy shift stems from a national conference held in February, which reinforced the authority of the ruling junta and granted General Abdourahamane Tiani a five-year mandate to remain in power.
Since toppling President Mohamed Bazoum in a July 2023 coup, Niger’s junta has severed ties with France, expelled French troops, and renamed streets and landmarks bearing French names.
The move mirrors similar actions by neighboring military regimes in Mali and Burkina Faso—also former French colonies—which have distanced themselves from France and withdrawn from the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), a Francophone equivalent of the Commonwealth.
