MALI DROPS FRENCH AS OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
Mali in a recent referendum, dated June 18th, 2023, has decided to drop the French as its official language in favour of its local languages. French will however be recognised as a working language. It has been over 60 years that Mali had independence from France and French has been the main official language until this recent decision by the people. The constitutional court has validated the 96.91% approval from voters as the final results. Thirteen (13) national languages spoken within the country will be formally recognised as official languages whiles French, as earlier stated will still function as a working language. There is hope that with time, there will be a gradual shift from the use of French and fully adopting their local languages and encouraging their use in the international front. This is a great idea as it would help preserve its local languages helping them to compete in the international front. It is also said that 70 languages which had been known as nationa