Being the second-largest continent in the world, you might wonder if there are any English speaking countries in Africa. Considering that it is not one or two but twenty-four countries that speak English.

With a population now shooting over 1.4 billion people and 54 countries, Africa has been the hub of diversity for a very long time now. With diversity, there also comes a great number of languages. Because of the remnants of colonization, there are still Anglophone countries that fall on the list. These countries are:

Cameroon

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French and English both are the official languages of the country. As it was colonized by both French and the United Kingdom at different times. There are many languages spoken in Cameroon, but these two are the only official ones. This has made the country a bilingual country.

Botswana

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English and Setswana are the two official languages of Botswana. And while Setswana is the national language of the country, the business language remains to be English.

Sudan

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Arabic remained the official language of Sudan for a long time until it was removed and English was made the only official language of the country. It is now the principal language of the country.

Ghana

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Like many other countries located in West Africa, Ghana also has English as the official language. It was during the colonial times that English was passed on to the Ghanaians by the British.

Today, it is being used everywhere around the country, including in office, media, and business.

Namibia

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English and African were made the official languages after the First World War. Before which the German colonized the country for three decades. Now English is the primary language of the country.

Uganda

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From the forty recognized languages, English is the official language of the country. A majority of the population speaks and understands the language.

Sierra Leone

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English has been the principal language of Sierra Leone ever since the British rule. Bengali is the second official language of the country, while other non-official languages are also widely spoken.

Saint Helena

Saint Helena also belongs to the list of countries that speak English as the official language. However, they have their dialects that are not very easily followed by outsiders.

Zambia

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English was made the official language by the British during the colonial rule. It is the language of the government, media, business, and education.

Nigeria

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Just like Ghana, Nigeria also inherited English from the British during the colonial era. It makes it one of the countries with English as the official language in West Africa.

In some regions, especially the urban regions, more dominant English speakers can be found.

The Gambia

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From the time of the colonial rule, English remains to be the official language of Gambia. Presented by the British, it is still widely spoken in the country. However, Wolof is also spoken widely as a first language.

Liberia

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Just the same as other West African countries, Liberia also speaks English officially. It has been a notable language ever since the country was founded.

Mauritius

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Just like Cameroon, the official languages of the country are French and English. Before the country was taken by the French and then the UK, the country was colonized by the Dutch who overtook it from the Arabs.

Kenya

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The country of Kenya has two official languages that are English and Swahili. While Swahili is the national language English was only adapted during the colonial rule of the British.

Lesotho

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Also adopted only during the colonial rule, English is the official language of Lesotho. However, the Sesotho - also an official language - is more widely spoken in the country.

Malawi

The people of Malawi speak Chewa and English as their official languages. English was brought to the country during the colonial period as well.

Somaliland

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Somaliland also has three official languages, English, Arabic, and Somali. During the colonization of the North-West, English was introduced and has stayed ever since.

South Africa

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English is one of the many official languages of the country. It was spread when the British took over from the Dutch in the 1800s.

Zimbabwe

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Zimbabwe is a country that has fifteen official languages, in addition to English. The English language was made official during the colonial times by the British. Other languages are also widely spoken in the country.

Even if English is not the national language of these countries, it is spoken and understood in all these regions. It is also the business and education language of these countries. Prepared yourself to communicate in these countries in the English language if you happen to find yourself visiting any.

source : Mars Translation