Kiswahili Beyond Borders: Strengthening Africa's Lingua Franca in Digital and Academic Domains

Abstract

Abstract

This study explores Kiswahili's potential as a global language by examining its use across daily, professional, academic, and digital contexts, alongside structural and cultural factors shaping its expansion. Using a quantitative cross-sectional survey design, the research collected data from 384 respondents across Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and diaspora communities. The analysis is grounded in Cooper's (1989) language-planning framework and Kaplan and Baldauf's (1997) ecological perspective, addressing status, corpus, and acquisition planning. Findings reveal strong daily usage in Tanzania and Kenya but lower adoption in Uganda, the DRC, and diaspora communities. Kiswahili flourishes on social media, yet its broader digital presence is limited by low content creation and inadequate AI tools. In academia, respondents recognise its scholarly potential, but English dominates due to the absence of indexed journals and institutional incentives. Policy and economic support are largely perceived as symbolic, and over-standardisation raises concerns about loss of dialectal diversity. The study argues that while Kiswahili can become Africa's first truly global language, structural inequalities across technological, academic, and policy domains constrain this potential. By providing quantitative, cross-national evidence, the study offers novel insights for advancing Kiswahili's regional and global reach.