... resolves to publish all documents in the widespread language
AFRICAN Development
Bank (AfDB) has resolved to use Kiswahili in all its documents to
enable majority people to read and understand the bank operations.
"We have decided in
the bank that all our documents will now be produced in Kiswahili to
give
Kiswahili speakers an opportunity to acquire knowledge on the
bank's activities that aim at lifting them from poverty," AfDB President
Dr Akinwumi Adesina said recently.
Dr Adesina was
speaking to the 'Daily News' in an interview on the sidelines of the
39th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit in Dar es
Salaam last week.
"If our people are
Kiswahili speakers why shouldn't we then produce our documents in the
language they can read and understand? We want everybody in the street
to acquire more knowledge of the bank's activities using their
language," he added.
The president said
there is no magic in development, insisting that everybody must
understand the documents using the language, which they are familiar
with to acquire the right and full knowledge.
"For us at AfDB, at
all our documents at the African Economic Outlook published annually
are produced in English and French. Other languages for which the
documents are produced are Hausa and Arabic.
"We should be proud
of our languages, we have to be proud of our roots, we have to be proud
of our identity," emphasised the AfDB president.
The AfDB move comes amid the SADC declaration of Kiswahili as its fourth official language after English, French and Portuguese.
The decision was
reached at the just concluded SADC Summit that brought together heads of
state and government from the development community's member states.
The outgoing SADC
Chairman and Namibian President Dr Hage Geingob announced the decision
before he handed over the chairmanship to Tanzania's President John
Magufuli, saying ministers from the community's member states had
deliberated on the language as one of the official tools of
communication in the region.
Furthermore,
effective next year, South African schools will teach Kiswahili
language, making it the first African language outside South Africa to
be offered in class.
The Pan South
African Language Board (PanSALB) on Tuesday welcomed the SADC adoption
of Kiswahili as its fourth official language of communication.
The Board
Chairperson David Maahlamela described Kiswahili as an impeccable point
of departure in safeguarding integrative multilingualism inclusive of
indigenous languages.
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