Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed has adopted a policy to introduce four additional working languages alongside Amharic in the horn of Africa nation. The new languages adopted include Afan Oromo, Afar, Somali, and Tigrigna. The five languages are Afroasiatic. Amharic, which is the official language of Ethiopia, is its second most spoken language. The language has more than 21 million native speakers and about 4 million second-language speakers, that is, 29 percent speakers in the country. Meanwhile, the Afan Oromo speakers account for 34.4 percent of the population (about 35 million speakers), while Somali and Tigre speakers account for 6 percent with Afar recording 1.7 percent. Ethiopia is a nation that is largely disturbed by internal conflicts which are mostly caused by tribal sentiments which later breeds ethnic extremism. The new working languages are expected to reduce ethnic extremism and play a role in nation-building and unity. In a statement, the 43-year-old Prime Minister said that Amharic (has) played a big role in facilitating communications among Ethiopians. He added that in order to build a society that is integrated both politically and economically, introducing new working languages were very important. In his words, “The new languages would play a big role in uniting the country and further improve cultural ties among Ethiopians.”
SOURCE: VENTURES AFRICA
