Niger’s military-led government has declared Hausa as the country’s new national language, replacing French, in another decisive step away from its former colonial power, France.

“The national language is Hausa” while “the working languages are English and French,” the junta stated in a new charter published on March 31 in a special edition of the government’s official journal.

Hausa is Niger’s most widely-spoken language, particularly prevalent in the regions of Zinder, Maradi, and Tahoua.

The language is understood and spoken by a large portion of the population in the country of 26 million.

By contrast, French is spoken by only about 13 per cent of Nigeriens — roughly three million people.

According to the new charter, nine other local languages, including Zarma-Songhay, Fula, Kanuri, Gourmanche, and Arabic, will now be officially recognised as “the spoken languages of Niger.”

The charter emerged from a national conference held in February, which bolstered the ruling junta’s authority and granted its leader, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the mandate to remain in power for the next five years.

Since seizing power in a July 2023 coup that ousted civilian president Mohamed Bazoum, Niger’s ruling junta has cut diplomatic ties with Paris, expelled French troops, and renamed streets and landmarks that once carried French names.

This latest move aligns Niger with neighbouring military regimes in Mali and Burkina Faso — also former French colonies — who have similarly distanced themselves from France and withdrawn from the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), a post-colonial body similar to the Commonwealth. (AFP)