English and French are the widely spoken foreign languages in Africa having borrowed from the colonial masters in respective countries. Other foreign languages spoken in Africa includes Portuguese, Germany and Belgian.
Here are the top 10 English speaking countries in Africa :
More than 23 African countries lists English as one of their official languages while 26 uses French. See the list of all African countries :
| African Countries |
Country |
Official and national Languages |
Other spoken Languages |
| Algeria | Arabic, Berber languages, four dialects (by constitutional amendment) |
French |
| Angola | Portuguese | Narrow Bantu like Umbundu and other African languages. |
| Benin | French | Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north). |
| Botswana | Setswana (national language with minor differences in dialects), English is the official business language and it is widely spoken in urban areas. | |
| Burkina Faso | French | Native African languages belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population. |
| Burundi | Kirundi, French | Swahili (along Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area). |
| Cameroon | English, French | 24 major African language groups. |
| Cape Verde | Portuguese | Kabuverdianu (Crioulo) (a blend of Portuguese and West African words). |
| Central African Republic | French, Sangho (lingua franca and national language) | Banda, Gbaya and other tribal languages. |
| Chad | French, Arabic | Sara (in south), more than 120 different languages and dialects. |
| Comoros | Arabic, French | Shikomoro (a blend of Swahili and Arabic). |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | French | Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba. |
| Republic of the Congo | French | Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread). |
| Côte d’Ivoire | French | 60 native dialects with Dioula the most widely spoken. |
| Djibouti | French, Arabic | Somali, Afar |
| Egypt | Arabic | English and French widely understood by educated classes. |
| Equatorial Guinea | Spanish, French | pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo. |
| Eritrea | Tigrinya (Tigrigna), Arabic, English | Tigré (second major language), Afar, Bedawi, Kunama, other Cushitic languages. |
| Ethiopia | Amharic | Tigrinya, Oromo, Gurage, Somali, Arabic, 80 other local languages, English (major foreign language taught in schools) |
| Gabon | French | Bantu languages like Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi. |
| Gambia | English | Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other indigenous vernaculars. |
| Ghana | English | African languages (including Akan, Adangme, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga) |
| Guinea | French (spoken by 15-20%) | Eight national languages, Soussou (Susu, in coastal Guinea), Peulh (Fulani, in Northrn Guinea), Maninka (Upper Guinea), Kissi (Kissidougou Region), Toma and Guerze (Kpelle) in rain forest Guinea; plus various ethnic groups with their own language. |
| Guinea-Bissau | Portuguese | Crioulo (a mixture of Portuguese and African), other African languages. |
| Kenya | English, Kiswahili | numerous indigenous languages. |
| Lesotho | Sesotho (southern Sotho), English | Zulu, Xhosa. |
| Liberia | English 20% | some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence. |
| Libya | Arabic | Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities. |
| Madagascar | French, Malagasy | |
| Malawi | English, Nyanja (Chichewa, Chewa) | Lomwe, Tumbuka, Yao, other languages important regionally. |
| Mali | French | Bambara (Bamanakan), Arabic and numerous dialects of Dogoso, Fulfulde, Koyracini, Senoufou, and Mandinka/Malinké (Maninkakan), Tamasheq are also widely spoken. |
| Mauritania | Arabic | Hassaniya Arabic, Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof, French |
| Mauritius | English, French | Creole, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bhojpuri |
| Morocco | Arabic | Berber dialects, French often the language of business, government, and diplomacy. |
| Mozambique | Portuguese (spoken by 27% of population as a second language) | Makhuwa, Tsonga, Lomwe, Sena, numerous other indigenous languages. |
| Namibia | English 7% | Afrikaans common language of most of the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%, indigenous languages: Oshivambo, Herero, Nama. |
| Niger | French | Hausa, Djerma |
| Nigeria | English | Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani, Ijaw, Ibibio and about 250 other indigenous languages spoken by the different ethnic groups. |
| Réunion | French | Creole widely used |
| Rwanda | Rwanda (Kinyarwanda, Bantu vernacular) French, English | Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial centers. |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | Portuguese | |
| Senegal | French | Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka |
| Seychelles | English, French | Creole |
| Sierra Leone | English (regular use limited to literate minority) | Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%) |
| Somalia | Somali | Arabic, Italian, English |
| South Africa | 11 official languages, including Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, Pedi, Sesotho (Sotho), siSwati (Swazi), Xitsonga (Tsonga), Tswana, Tshivenda (Venda), isiXhosa, isiZulu | |
| Sudan/South Sudan | Arabic | Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English. note: program of “Arabization” in process |
| Swaziland | English (government business conducted in English), siSwati | |
| Tanzania | Kiswahili (Swahili), Kiunguju (name for Swahili in Zanzibar), English (primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education) | Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar), Gogo, Haya, Makonde, Nyakyusa, Nyamwezi, Sukuma, Tumbuka, many other local languages. |
| Togo | French (the language of commerce) | Ewe and Mina (the two major African languages in the south), Kabye (Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African languages in the north) |
| Tunisia | Arabic (and the languages of commerce) | French (commerce) |
| Uganda | English (used in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio broadcasts) | Ganda (Luganda; most widely used of the Niger-Congo languages, preferred for native language publications), other Niger-Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan languages, Acoli, Swahili, Arabic |
| Western Sahara | Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic | |
| Zambia | English | major vernaculars: Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and about 70 other indigenous languages. |
| Zimbabwe | English | Chishona (Shona), Sindebele (Ndebele), numerous but minor tribal dialects like: Sotho and Nambya, Shangani, Venda, Chewa, Nyanja, and Tonga. |
Keywords : Africa, News, Economy, Languages
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