The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of CEOAFRICA, Prince Cletus Iloabanafor, has called on policymakers, corporate organizations, private sector actors, and civil society groups to intensify their support for the African Academy of Languages (ACALAN) as the institution prepares to mark its 20th anniversary.
Prince Iloabanafor made the call at the University of Ghana, Legon, during the 2026 Africa Languages Week (ALW), held from February 23 to 24 in Accra. He noted that the ongoing stakeholder deliberations form a critical foundation for the official anniversary celebrations, scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2026.
A member of the African Languages Week Coordinating Committee (ALWCC) and Chairman of Resource Mobilisation, Iloabanafor emphasized that sustained investment in African languages is key to unlocking inclusive development across the continent.
The 2026 Africa Languages Week was held under the theme “Sustainable Waters, Shared Voices: African Languages as the Conduit for Water and Safe Sanitation for the Africa We Want.”* Addressing participants, Prince Iloabanafor challenged corporate organizations and policymakers to harness the economic and social potential of Africa’s over 600 million indigenous language speakers.
According to him, engaging this vast demographic could transform business outcomes by extending reach to nearly 60 percent of Africans who remain excluded due to the dominance of colonial languages.
The two-day event also featured the official unveiling of ACALAN’s new logo and a series of high-level strategic sessions chaired by Prof. Dr. Vicensia Shule, Acting Executive Secretary of ACALAN. Prof. Dr. Shule urged stakeholders to design high-impact initiatives that convert two decades of linguistic research into tangible results, including a proposed recognition ceremony to honor lifetime contributors to indigenous language development.
Speaking to CEOAFRICA , she called on parents and educational institutions to prioritize intergenerational language transmission as a safeguard for Africa’s cultural identity. She further reaffirmed ACALAN’s commitment to moving beyond policy formulation to practical implementation across African Union member states, aligning the 20th anniversary with the International Action Plan for Indigenous Languages to enhance quality of life, governance, and linguistic rights.
Strategic coordination for the week was led by the ALWCC, chaired by Ms. Margaret Nankinga. Committee members included Prince Iloabanafor, Mr. John Rusimbi, Dr. Babusa Omar Hamisi, Mr. Anicet Allamadjingaye, and Ms. Francina Nutifafa Feyi.
During the working sessions, Ms. Nankinga presented a proposal on language advocacy, while Prince Iloabanafor outlined strategies to improve the visibility and valorization of African languages across all spheres of life. Technical presentations featured Mr. Rusimbi’s work on artificial intelligence tools for African languages and Dr. Hamisi’s proposal to deploy animation and cartoons for early childhood language learning.
Former Senior Programme Officer, Dr. Babajide Ojo Johnson, also stressed the importance of delivering media literacy and entrepreneurship education in indigenous languages to advance the African Union Agenda 2063.
The sessions concluded with discussions on the instrumentalisation of African languages, including the development of standardized vocabularies for key sectors such as health, water, and public administration. Participants emphasized the need for adaptive governance frameworks to ensure African languages remain relevant in an era of rapid digital transformation.
As the event drew to a close, Prince Iloabanafor renewed his call for partnerships and unwavering support for ACALAN, noting that the year-long 20th anniversary programme—scheduled to run from September 2026 to 2027—represents a renewed commitment to repositioning African languages as central pillars of social cohesion and sustainable development.
According to him, reclaiming Africa’s linguistic heritage is essential to shaping a future in which the continent fully realizes its potential on the global stage.
