CEOAFRICA Boss Seeks Broader Backing for ACALAN at 20th Anniversary Planning

CEOAFRICA Managing Director Prince Cletus Iloabanafor has called for wider institutional backing for the African Academy of Languages (ACALAN) as the organisation prepares activities for its 20th anniversary in 2026 and 2027.

Speaking at Africa Languages Week 2026 in Accra, Iloabanafor said stronger participation from policymakers, companies, private sector actors and civil society groups is needed to move language development from conference discussions to practical outcomes across the continent.

The event, held at the University of Ghana, Legon, from February 23 to 24, served as a planning platform for anniversary work expected to begin in the third quarter of 2026. Iloabanafor, who serves on the Africa Languages Week Coordinating Committee (ALWCC) and chairs resource mobilisation, said sustained funding and long-term partnerships are necessary if African language policy is to produce measurable social and economic gains.

Under this year's theme, "Sustainable Waters, Shared Voices: African Languages as the Conduit for Water and Safe Sanitation for the Africa We Want," participants examined how language can improve public communication in sectors such as health, water and governance. Iloabanafor said engagement in indigenous languages could open markets and public services to millions who remain outside formal communication systems because colonial languages dominate official systems.

He said the continent has more than 600 million indigenous language speakers, and that failing to communicate with this population in familiar languages limits development outcomes. According to him, stronger language inclusion can expand access and improve the quality of service delivery for communities that are often left behind in national planning.

At the same gathering, ACALAN unveiled a new logo and convened high-level strategy sessions chaired by Prof. Dr. Vicensia Shule, Acting Executive Secretary of ACALAN. Shule said the anniversary should not be symbolic alone, adding that stakeholders should design programmes that convert two decades of research into direct benefits for citizens. She also proposed a recognition programme for individuals who have made lifetime contributions to indigenous language development.

In comments to CEOAFRICA, Shule said families and schools must play a central role in passing languages from one generation to the next. She said language continuity is tied to cultural identity and social memory, and warned that weak transmission in homes and classrooms can erase community knowledge over time.

Shule further said ACALAN plans to align anniversary activities with the International Action Plan for Indigenous Languages and with African Union priorities, including governance inclusion and linguistic rights. Her position was that implementation, not policy paperwork, should define the next phase of ACALAN's work across member states.

The ALWCC, chaired by Ms. Margaret Nankinga, coordinated the technical and policy sessions. Committee members included Iloabanafor, Mr. John Rusimbi, Dr. Babusa Omar Hamisi, Mr. Anicet Allamadjingaye and Ms. Francina Nutifafa Feyi.

During deliberations, Nankinga presented an advocacy framework, while Iloabanafor outlined approaches for expanding the status and everyday use of African languages in public life. Technical contributions included Rusimbi's presentation on artificial intelligence tools for African languages and Hamisi's proposal to use animation and cartoons in early childhood learning.

Former Senior Programme Officer Dr. Babajide Ojo Johnson said media literacy and entrepreneurship education delivered in indigenous languages could support the African Union Agenda 2063 by improving participation and economic readiness at community level.

Participants also discussed language instrumentalisation, including standard vocabularies for health, water and public administration, to improve policy communication and reduce exclusion. They said governance frameworks must be updated to keep African languages useful in a digital era where technology increasingly shapes education, media and civic engagement.

As the meeting closed, Iloabanafor renewed his appeal for sustained partnerships around ACALAN's anniversary programme, expected to run from September 2026 into 2027. He said rebuilding confidence in African languages is not only a cultural project but a development priority tied to social cohesion, inclusion and long-term continental growth.