The search of viable strategies to bring about sustainable development that would propel Africa into development has been top on the agenda of the African Union. It is in this context that Africa’s Agenda 2063 has come into existence. Its vision is to achieve “An Integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena”.

Taking into account previous development plans such as the Lagos Plan of Action that was produce and launched in the eighties, the African Union Commission has been engaged in a process to find the best strategies to implement the Agenda 2063 and ensure ownership by Africans.

As we all know, the vast majority of African eke their living in African Languages. These languages therefore has to be part and parcel of the popularization and implementation strategy of the Agenda 2063. It was for this reason that the Chair of the African Union, Her Excellency, Dr Nkosozana Zuma, announced during the African Union Summit, which was held in January 2015 in Addis, that the popular version of the Agenda would be translated into African Languages.

Taking into account the foregoing and in order to bring to the fore the contribution of languages to Agenda 2063, the African Academy of Languages (ACALAN) invites Africa scholars in the continent and the Diaspora to submit contribution for publication in a special edition of KUWALA (ACALAN’s Journal), which will explore the academic, conceptual and practical elements on the contribution of African languages to the Agenda. It is to be noted that language in general and African languages in particular have been generally excluded from the development discourse. The special edition, therefore, provides scholars with a rare opportunity to provide inputs that will bring Africa languages to the core of Africa’s Agenda 2063.

ACALAN’s Secretariat will accept submissions in African languages and all working languages of the African Union. The deadline for the submission of papers is June 2015 each contributor will make arrangement for collection of his/her copy of the journal after publication.

The contribution should be sent to [email][email protected]; [email][email protected]; [email][email protected]

We look forward to receiving your papers for this special edition.

Yours in the development and promotion of African languages,

Professor Sozinho Francisco Matsinhe, PhD
Editor and Executive Secretary, ACALAN