Angola – one of only two Portuguese-speaking nations in our Southern African neck of the woods – plans to introduce French as a compulsory school subject from the age of ten, a move officials argue will make the country linguistically ready for increased trade with the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo, which it borders and both of which are French-speaking.

This policy is smart and not without precedent. Rwanda’s experience shows that a strategic language shift can translate into measurable economic benefits. In 2008, the East African country changed its education system from French to English as the primary medium of instruction and as the language of government and business.

Choosing English over French, the previous official language, was not without merit. The former, used by 85% of international organisations for official communication, is the world’s fastest-growing language, connecting North and South as well as West and East.

Rwanda’s goal was explicitly economic: to build linguistic capital to align with the East African Community and to integrate into the broader Anglophone economic sphere, although some argue that the switch was also a decision against the French language and France itself, amid a long-running spat between the two countries.

It is difficult – nay, impossible – to establish causality between Rwanda’s economic strides over the past 18 years and its adoption of English, as other factors, such as political stability, investor-friendliness, improved infrastructure and post-genocide recovery policies, have clearly played a major role. Nonetheless, the economic benefits for individuals are undeniable.

According to one study, published in the Journal of Education and Work in 2022 – though rather old hat, it is the latest available – proficiency in English within the Rwandan labour market attracts better rewards than proficiency in French, with the gap widening from the median to the upper end of the earnings distribution.

The study’s authors forecast that, with English now firmly the language of government, business and education in the country, the role of French and its economic rewards will continue to fade.

Back to Angola. Its French initiative will put it in good stead as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) gradually takes shape. French is widely spoken in more than 20 countries in West, Central and East Africa, in many cases as the language of government, education and formal commerce. In fact, more than half the world’s French-speakers live on the continent.

So, a significant share of trade under the AfCFTA Agreement – aimed at slashing tariff and non-tariff barriers to intra-African trade – will occur in contexts where French is the dominant language of contracts, customs processes, banking and logistics.

In cross-border commerce, language mismatches inflate transaction costs by requiring translation services and delaying contract negotiations, for instance. Having more French-speaking professionals in Angola means these costs shrink. Instead of relying on ad hoc interpreters or external intermediaries, Angolan firms can negotiate directly with their partners from French-speaking countries.

Angola’s move points to a broader lesson for the entire continent. If African countries invest in multilingual education, they effectively build linguistic capital that, over time, can help their firms reduce transaction costs, ease regulatory navigation and improve cross-border negotiation – all essential as the AfCFTA matures.

In essence, the continent-wide free trade area is not just a tariff-liberalisation exercise. Rather, it is a continental project of connectivity where language can be a decisive barrier or enabler. Countries that cling to monolingualism – thereby ignoring the continent’s major languages of business or government – risk missing out on the full opportunities that the AfCFTA promises.

In 2018, the South African Department of Basic Education announced plans to add Swahili to the school curriculum as a non-compulsory second additional language. A pilot phase, initially slated for 2021, was delayed by the Covid pandemic. The rollout is now scheduled to run from 2025 to 2027 for grades 4 to 6, from 2028 to 2030 for grades 7 to 9, and from 2031 to 2033 for grades 10 to 12.

This is a forward-looking step that deserves applause. Swahili is an official language in a few African countries, and its adoption in our education system could enhance ties between South Africa and those countries.