Museveni Calls for Promotion of Kiswahili for African Economic Integration
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has encouraged East Africans and the broader African continent to promote Swahili as a vital tool for economic integration and unity.
The President was on Thursday presiding over the inaugural graduation ceremony for 304 Kiswahili students who completed a one-year course for 12 at the NRM Secretariat in Kampala.
He described Swahili as a neutral, non-ethnic, and unifying language that originated on the coast of East Africa as a tool for business belonging to no single tribe.
Mr Museveni said the language is essential for promoting trade both regionally and internationally. “We are going to push the program and you will be the teachers now. But you must perfect the vocabulary and the tenses,” President Museveni said as addressed the first intake of the Kiswahili cadres at Kyambogo University grounds.
Unlike tribal languages which belong to one group of people, President Museveni said Kiswahili is a better language because it is largely welcomed by communities in the region.
“Having begun as a language for the business people to easy communication, it was adopted by other communities at the coast of East Africa and later spread into many communities across the East African region,” the Head of State said.
“In 1968, I didn’t know even a single word in Kiswahili, but while at the University I went to Mozambique, I learnt some Swahili words there and am still using them up to date,” Museveni said as rallied more Ugandans to learn the language.
The Head of State contributed to the Kiswahili SACCO 100 Million.
Museveni further appreciated course initiators including: the NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong and Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, for their advocacy in the matter and pledged to advance the programme further.
