University of Ibadan to teach Swahili after pact with Dar es Salaam

The University of Ibadan and the University of Dar es Salaam have entered into an agreement to teach Swahili in Nigeria.

Swahili, also known by its local name Kiswahili, is spoken by people in Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique.

It is regarded as the most widely spoken native language in Africa with some 200 million people, according to the United Nations.

– Key points to note

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed virtually on March 15 with the facilitation of the Tanzanian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Benson Bana.

The agreement involves joint research activities, exchange programmes for students and staff, mutual assistance in programme development, exchange of information and publications, and organization of academic events, according to a press release circulated by Tanzania’s ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation.

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The partnership is significant because both universities are the oldest public universities in their respective countries.

The vice chancellor of UDSM, Prof William Anangisye, said the agreement would allow both institutions to learn more about each other and said he was pleased that it will enable the teaching of Kiswahili, the national language of Tanzania and one of Africa’s most popular languages, in a prestigious Nigerian university.

The vice-chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof Kayode Adebowale, represented at the ceremony by Prof Oluyemisi Bamgbose, said the newly signed MoU will lead to the teaching of Kiswahili as an African language in the University of Ibadan’s Department of Linguistics and African Languages.

“We appreciate the efforts of the High Commissioner to strengthen the relationship between the two countries,” she said.

The head of the Linguistics and African Languages Department, Prof Oye Taiwo, assured that the necessary steps will be taken to ensure that the course is approved by the University of Ibadan Senate as soon as possible.