French is experiencing a surge in popularity across the African continent, where its usage has been growing steadily over the years. By 2070, the International Observatory of the Francophonie estimates that there could be anywhere from 470 to 740 million French speakers in Africa alone. However, the path to achieving this projection is not without challenges.
One major challenge is the state of education on the continent. Efforts must be made to improve the quality of education and increase access to it in order to facilitate widespread learning of French. Another obstacle is the rise of local languages such as lingala in the Democratic Republic of Congo and wolof in Senegal, which are increasingly being used in place of French.
Despite these challenges, there is reason for optimism. The French language has become a global language, and there is a growing effort to make it an international language. French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized this point in his speech on International Francophonie Day in 2019, stating that “French has become emancipated from France; it has become a world language, an archipelago language”.
If the necessary infrastructure and support is put in place, French could become an even more prominent language on the global stage. The growing number of French speakers in Africa and the increasing recognition of French as a language of international importance are just two indicators of the language’s potential for growth and expansion in the future.