The Ugandan government has allocated $800m (£625m) to the promotion and education of Swahili in the country as part of efforts to promote regional integration.
Uganda’s East African Affairs Minister Rebecca Kadaga has said civil servants, including doctors, nurses and border officials, will be given priority in the upcoming Swahili language training programme.
The Minister did not provide further details as to when and how the training program would be presented.
Mr Kadaga said all government officials, including ministers and judges, would undergo compulsory weekly classes as part of efforts to popularize the language in the country.
In July 2022, the Ugandan government approved the introduction of Swahili as an official language and ordered it to be a compulsory subject in primary and secondary schools.
However, the language is currently taught in some secondary schools in the country.
Approximately 200 million people around the world speak Swahili. In 2021, Swahili became most active as the United Nations declared July 7th as World Swahili Language Day.
It is also the official language of the East African Regional Area EAC.
In 2019, Swahili was recognized as the only African language by the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Efforts are also underway to introduce it into classrooms across South Africa and Botswana.