From Thousands of African Languages to a Pan-African Language for the African Continental Free Trade Area

This podcast episode discusses a new article that argues that Africa’s thousands of languages create a barrier to trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and proposes Kiswahili as a single trade language to boost communication, economic integration, and poverty reduction. It presents a 25-year roadmap using institutional theory’s three pillars: rules and enforcement (regulative), shared norms (normative), and common ways of thinking (cognitive) to guide governments, businesses, and educators in making Kiswahili a continent-wide trade language. The podcast concludes that adopting Kiswahili could lower trade costs and strengthen African unity but will require sustained investment in education, policy harmonization, and cultural acceptance.

Citation: Chrysostome, E. V., Adegbile, A., Boafo, C., & Ogunsanya, F. (2025). From Thousands of African Languages to a Pan-African Language for the African Continental Free Trade Area: A Framework Promoting Kiswahili as Common Language for Intra-African Trade. AIB Insights. https:/​/​doi.org/​10.46697/​001c.136476.