Arusha. Tanzania has renewed its push for Kiswahili to be recognised as an official working language of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), arguing that language is central to making parliamentary institutions more inclusive and accessible.
The call was made on October 6, 2026, by The Chairperson of the Tanzania IPU Parliamentary Group at the 153rd IPU Assembly, Dr Damas Ndumbaro, during the ongoing assembly in Arusha, which has brought together more than 2,000 delegates from 184 countries.
Tanzania made the call at a time when English and French are the IPU’s official languages, while Arabic and Spanish are also used as working languages at its major meetings.
Dr Ndumbaro said Kiswahili, which he described as the only indigenous African language with international status and spoken by more than 200 million people, deserved greater recognition in international institutions.
‘Inclusivity begins with the language of the people. Tanzania renews its call for Kiswahili to be recognised as an official working language of the IPU,’ he said.
Dr Ndumbaro made the remarks while addressing delegates on governance, inclusion and the role of parliaments in responding to challenges facing citizens.
He said good governance should not be viewed as an abstract principle but measured by whether citizens could access services, participate in decision-making and trust public institutions.
‘Good governance is not just an abstract ideal. It is the daily reality of whether citizens can access services, participate in decisions, and trust the institutions which prevail,’ he said.
He said good governance should be transparent, accountable, inclusive, capable, responsive and effective, with decisions informed by reliable data, research and public consultations.
Dr Ndumbaro cited Tanzania’s ‘Parliament of Proximity’ approach, including Constituent Weeks, Mobile Committees and live Kiswahili broadcasts, as initiatives intended to bring Parliament closer to citizens.
‘These ensure that governance is not distanced but proximate and participatory,’ he said.
He also said women, young people, people with disabilities and marginalised groups should not merely be represented but meaningfully involved in decision-making.
‘Representation matters, but so does the quality of participation,’ he said.
Dr Ndumbaro said technology could widen access to information, improve service delivery and strengthen accountability when used responsibly, but warned that misuse could deepen exclusion, spread misinformation and undermine rights.
He called for parliamentary legislation on digital sovereignty to ensure innovation remained transparent, inclusive, secure and subject to democratic oversight.
The Tanzanian lawmaker also stressed the importance of civic education in preparing young people to participate in democratic processes and resist misinformation and polarisation.
‘Civic education equips young people with the knowledge, skills and confidence to understand democratic institutions, exercise their rights, and resist misinformation and polarisation,’ he said.
On climate change, Dr Ndumbaro called for stronger parliamentary oversight of climate finance, saying commitments made at global climate meetings needed to translate into projects that benefited communities.
‘Climate justice without parliamentary scrutiny is a theatre,’ he said.
He proposed an IPU standing mechanism pairing donor-country parliaments with recipient-country parliaments to jointly oversee climate finance from the initial pledge to the completion of projects.
Dr Ndumbaro urged delegates to remain connected to the challenges facing constituents beyond parliamentary chambers, including access to electricity, clean water and employment.
‘The true test of governance is what delivers to people’s lives,’ he said.
He concluded by stressing the importance of cooperation among parliaments and nations.
‘No parliament prospers alone, no nation thrives in isolation,’ he said.