In the language learning community, African languages have long lacked the attention they deserve. For those of us living outside the African continent, the motivations for learning an African language can be both personal or professional. Fortunately, thanks to the development of free, online resources, there’s never been a better time to learn an African language.

Here are three reasons why you should take advantage and learn an African language today.

Learning an African Language Can Shape Your Professional Trajectory

Sub-Saharan Africa alone is home to more than a billion people—roughly 1/7th of the world’s population. Africa is both young and growing, and the economic explosion of countries like Nigeria suggests the continent is set on a growth trajectory— despite centuries of inequities and marginalization from the twin forces of racism and colonial exploitation.

For the continent in the present day, it’s clear that challenges remain. But the region is bolstered by a young population and natural resources offering the potential to foster equitable economic growth and development. Young professionals and students intrigued by the prospect of a career in development, non-government organizations, translation and interpretation, or international business could all benefit from professional proficiency in one of the many African languages, including Yoruba, Twi, Swahili, and others.

Learning African Languages Can Help Connect to Your Culture

The population of the African diaspora is estimated to number around 140 million in the Western Hemisphere. Countries like the United States, Brazil, and others in both North and South America and the Caribbean boast sizable Black populations, which are the lasting legacy of the African slave trade.

Black people in these nations and elsewhere have been systematically subject to racist attempts to erase their history, identity, and shared-sense of culture throughout history. For many, however, learning an African language in 2022 represents an opportunity to meaningfully connect with a cultural and linguistic legacy that has been suppressed for centuries. And now, with the ubiquity of the internet and educational language learning platforms, the barriers to entry have never been lower.

Learning an African Language Can Combat Inequality in Language Education

The teaching of African languages can help connect Black and African people in the diaspora to their cultural and linguistic roots. It can also make for more robust and diverse language offerings in the traditional places where languages are learned.

Efforts have been made to diversify the languages on offer in American universities. Progress is hampered by a general decline in funding for foreign languages in general—even though African languages are of strategic importance to governments in the Global North.

Even technology has been slow to accommodate African languages. Language-learning giant Duolingo is expected to add Zulu and Xhosa to its roster in 2022—after many years of only hosting Swahili on the platform. However, new language-learning platforms are arriving on the scene with the express goal of promoting access to African languages—and the future of African language learning in the US and elsewhere looks bright.

Start Studying African Languages Today for Free

The bottom line?

Technology is making it easier than ever before for users around the world to explore their cultures and take advantage of all that learning an African language has to offer.

Looking to learn African languages at no cost? Then check out Mandla—the seamless new app designed for those looking to strengthen their connections to their African roots.

Click here to get started with Mandla on your desktop, or download the app on your Apple or Android device today.

Mandla, an African language e-learning platform started by a group of passionate first generation African students studying at elite colleges including Harvard, Vanderbilt, MIT and Cornell. The team was inspired by their personal desires to learn their mother tongues and found that there was a lack of resources to do so. Due to these challenges they decided to create Mandla. They are currently building a platform that not only teaches popular indigenous African languages but preserves others that are at risk for extinction.

What does a Bank have in common with a cup of coffee, an adaptor, a cowrie or cake?

This is part of the thrust of Absa Bank Ghana’s new corporate banking advertising campaign that is set to get the capital talking for the most part of the first quarter of 2022.

The thought-provoking advertising campaign uses powerful creative imagery of unique products from several sectors of the economy and links their relationship to Absa Bank’s corporate banking mandate across the country and the continent. This is complemented by sector specific executions (Infrastructure, manufacturing, agriculture, telecommunication, oil and gas, power, mining financial institution and consumer goods) across a multiplicity of media channels and platforms.

The campaign, designed to shimmer and glitter in Ghana’s capital city and other regional centers on January 24^th, 2022, uses four proof points – global reach, digital solution, value chain and expert solution– to drive home the Bank’s corporate banking credentials.

Absa Bank Ghana’s significance in Ghana’s economy has been a constant feature in the country’s developmental journey for more than a century. The Bank has supported several sectors, including empowering businesses to be sustainable and helping clients with transformative investment services. It has become a symbol of the Ghanaian financial identity since it first commenced operations as Barclays Bank in 1917.

The corporate banking business, especially, has a history of consistent financing support to many areas, including License Buying Companies in the cocoa sector and the largest single day domestic currency issuance in sub-Saharan Africa at US$2.25bn in 2017. Additionally, Absa Bank has acted as lead arranger for a number of big-ticket deals in Ghana’s finance and energy sectors.

As Regional Corporate Director for West Africa at Absa Bank, Ellen Ohene-Afoakwa says:

“Our fundamental task is to deliver value, experience, expertise and reach to ensure that our clients can put their businesses at the forefront of the financial world, whilst positively impacting their communities and powering their global vision. We are relevant in every sector of the Ghanaian economy from private, public, small and large entrepreneurship ventures and we shall continue to make capital available to grow the markets, transform the continent and maintain our image as the go-to partner of choice.”

Ultimately the advertising campaign is a call to action for both prospective and current businesses to partner a bank with demonstrable bravery and expertise to get things done. The campaign will utilize all key touchpoints in the external media space (TV, Online, Radio, outdoor, PR) together with an ambitious digital and social media approach.

It’s innovative creative execution, will undoubtedly elevate the conversation around the crucially important role Absa Bank plays in Ghana’s economy.

They say style is a way to say who you are without having to speak. How you appear in the midst of people say a lot about you every single time.

Edem Farrie looks the part as she releases stunning new photos, showing the news reporter, actress, entrepreneur and fashion model she is.

She makes it her duty to look presentable at all moments and this new looks say it all. Check out some of them down here below:

In recent times she has done much in the journalism field with a feature on “Nigeria Beyond Oil” in which she interviewed key players in the Oil & Gas And Tech Sector. She has worked on other projects which include humanitarian activities and movies will soon be made public. Follow her on social media via these handles.

Facebook : Edem Farrie  https://www.facebook.com/edemfarrie

Twitter : @edemfarrie https://twitter.com/edemfarrie

Instagram : @edemfarrie https://www.instagram.com/edemfarrie/

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) and Ghana Education Service (GES) have announced plans to vaccinated Senior High School (SHS) student as school re-opens.  This was contained in a statement jointly signed by Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye Director-General, Ghana Health Service and Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa Director-General, Ghana Education Service.

The statement reads:

Ghana has been experiencing periodic outbreaks of COVID-19 in Senior High Schools. Fortunately, the Ghana Health Service received approval from the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to expand persons eligible for vaccination to include 15-year-olds and above who are mostly in Senior High Schools. This vaccination comes to compliment the already existing COVID-19 preventive protocols such as wearing of face mask, washing of hands with soap under running water and the use of hand sanitizers.

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) working in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES), commenced the vaccination of students who fall within the eligibility criteria, but the exercise had to be suspended during the vacation period. The students were however encouraged to get the vaccination in the communities where theylive.

The GHS in collaboration with GES has restarted the vaccination exercise in all schools.

In this vein, vaccination teams have been dispatched to schools to vaccinate students who have not yet been vaccinated. Students who have already been vaccinated are required to bring their vaccination cards to school for inspection.

The Ghana Health Service and the Ghana Education Service is by this release requesting the cooperation of parents and all stakeholders to make this exercise a success.

We count on the continuous support of parents and guardians in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in our schools and communities.

The Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr Mohammed Awal has disclosed that the industry will invest over $20 million to improve tourism and arts attractions. (more…)