List of Multilingual Countries and Regions - Africa

Africa

Central Africa

• Cameroon : English & French (official) + Cameroonian Pidgin, Basaa, Duala, Bikya, Bung, Fula, Kanuri, Ngumba, Yeni, Bamum, Bakweri language and fluency in the German, Portuguese and Spanish languages.
• Central African Republic : French (official) + Sango and 50 other tribal languages.
• Chad : Arabic & French (official) + more than 100 tribal languages.
• Democratic Republic of the Congo : French (official), + Lingala, Kongo, Swahili & Tshiluba (national languages) + 238 other languages.
• Equatorial Guinea : Spanish + Portuguese + French
• Republic of the Congo : French (official) + Lingala & Kituba national languages + other dialects, including Kikongo and Kituba (Kikongo creole).

East Africa

• Burundi : French & Kirundi (official) + Swahili.
• Kenya : English & Swahili (official) + other indigenous languages.
• Rwanda : English, French & Kinyarwanda (official languages).
• Seychelles : English, French & Seychellois Creole (official languages)
• Tanzania : Swahili (national) + English
• Uganda : English (official) + Arabic, Luganda, Swahili + other Bantu languages & other Nilo-Saharan languages.

Horn of Africa

• Djibouti : Arabic & French (official) + Somali & Afar.
• Eritrea : no official language with two dominant language families: Semitic (Arabic, Tigrinya, Tigre and Dahlik) and Cushitic (Afar, Beja, Blin & Saho) + Kunama & Nara + English, Amharic & Italian from the colonial era.
• Ethiopia: Amharic (official) and 100 other tribal languages.
• Somalia : Somali & Arabic (official).

North Africa

• Algeria: Arabic (official) + Tamazight languages (a national language) + French (in general decline), from the French era.
• Egypt: Arabic (official) + Egyptian Arabic, English & French.
• Libya: Arabic (official) + Tamazight, Tamahaq + Italian & English.
• Mauritania: Arabic (de facto) + Hassaniya & French.
• Morocco: Arabic + French + Spanish, Amazigh & Moroccan Arabic.
  • Western Sahara: Hassaniya, Moroccan Arabic, Spanish and French.
  • Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic: Arabic + Spanish and French.
• Sudan: Arabic & English + indigenous languages.
• Tunisia: Modern Standard Arabic (official) + Tunisian Arabic, French & several Tamazight languages.

Southern Africa

• Botswana : English (official) + Tswana (national).
• Comores : Arabic, Comorian, French, Indian languages and Chinese languages.
• Lesotho : English + Sotho.
• Madagascar : French + Malagasy.
• Malawi : Chewa (national) + English (official).
• Mauritius : English (official) + French (administrative), Mauritian Creole (lingua franca), Bhojpuri ("Hindi"), Hakka, Tamil, Urdu, Marathi and Arabic.
• Namibia : English (official) + Ovambo (half of the population), Afrikaans & German (former official languages), Portuguese (Angolan immigrants, both of African & European-descent)
• South Africa : Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Tswana, Swati, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu and immigrant languages from Asia, Africa and Europe.
• Swaziland : English + Swati.
• Zimbabwe : English (official), Shona, Ndebele and Afrikaans.

West Africa

• Benin: French (official) + many indigenous languages including Fon & Songhay.
• Burkina Faso: French (official) + indigenous Sudanic languages.
• Cape Verde: Portuguese + Cape Verdean Creole.
• Côte d'Ivoire: French (official) + 60 indigenous dialects.
• Gambia: English (official) + Mandinka, Wolof, Fula & others.
• Ghana: English (official) + Akan, Dagaare/Wale, Dagbane, Dangme, Ewe, Ga, Gonja, Kasem & Nzema + 70 others.
• Guinea: French (official) + Arabic, Fula & Susu.
• Guinea-Bissau: Portuguese (official) + Kriol + indigenous languages.
• Liberia: English (official) + 20 ethnic group languages.
• Nigeria: English (official)+ Yoruba, Hausa, Ibo, and 100 ethnic/tribal languages.
• Togo : French (official) + Ewe, Mina & le Kabiyé.