Africa is the second-most popular continent in the world, and a wide range of languages can be found in the African continent with a total population of about 1.34 billion people. Among the many wide ranges of languages spoken in Africa, English is one of them and there are several English countries in Africa.
The African continent holds the record of being the second-largest continent in the world after Asia, also the second most populous continent in the world.
Here is the list of the Top 10 Best English Speaking African Countries:
Top 10 English speaking countries in Africa
1. Nigeria
In Nigeria, there are more English speakers than in any other African country. With a total population of 206 million people in the country, over 90 million of them can communicate in English. Approximately 53 per cent of the overall population in Nigeria is made up of this group.
English is the official language of Nigerian politics and formal communication, Nigeria English, or Nigeria’s standard English (NSE) while Nigerian pidgin, which is a dialect in English, is used more and more casually for informal ones.
Nigeria’s national language is English, Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Fulani, and English creoles are some of the other languages spoken in Nigeria. The majority of Nigeria’s language is also written in English.
2. Uganda
Basically, in terms of African countries on the list, Uganda takes one of the best spots. With approximately 45 million people living in the country, about 29 million of them are fluent in English. Uganda gained its independence in 1962, and is linguistically diverse; they speak 43 different languages. Since Uganda gained its independence, English has been the official language in Uganda.
3. South Africa
South Africa is located in the hemisphere of Africa. There are 11 official languages in South Africa and several other dialects. Afrikaans and isiZulu are very widely spoken.
About 9.6 per cent of South Africa’s total population of 4.8 million individuals are native English speakers. English is the second most commonly spoken language in South Africa.
4. Zambia
English is the official language in Zambia. Zambia uses English language for formal correspondence and business transactions. Nyanja is the primary local language, second to English.
More than 70 languages and dialects are spoken in Zambia. Everyone can speak or understand English in the country, and those who live in metropolitan areas can do so with fluency. The country has a population of 18 million, and English is its official language.
5. Kenya
There are about 54 million people in Kenya and each ethnic group has its own language. Although English is Kenya’s official language, there are an estimated 2.7 million individuals who speak and understand it.
English is primarily used in Kenyan schools. indigenous language has existed in the region for a long time, despite Swahili and English being the most commonly used.
6. Botswana
Botswana is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Even though more people in the country speak Setswana, English is still their official language in the country. Estimates place the population of Botswana at 2 million, with English being spoken by 2.8 per cent of the people living in the country.
The people of Botswana speak 31 languages. Business and academic, official correspondence, among others, are conducted in Botswana.
7. Ghana
Ghana is a country in West Africa with a native English-speaking population. English is the official language and the lingua franca in Ghana with a population of 31 million people. Although Ghanaians are fluent in more than a dozen languages, English is the de facto business and government language of the country.
According to the British colonization in the region, English has taken the status of the official language, and the consequence is a heavy tone of pidgin English, which may somehow be difficult for tourists to understand, despite this, English is one of the most commonly spoken languages in Ghana with many others.
8. Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked nation located between the Zambezi and Limpopo in southern Africa. Both in the education system and judiciary system, the community speaks English. Sinndele and Shona, both two languages are also commonly spoken as indigenous languages in the country. 70 per cent of the population speaks Shona while a relatively smaller, 20 per cent speak Sindebele.
Tonga, Shangaan, Sotho, Nambya and other languages are spoken in Zimbabwe.
9. Malawi
Malawi is a country in sub-Saharan Africa with a population of about 19 million people. Only 26 per cent of the people can speak and understand the English language, despite it being the official language.
Chichewa is the official language spoken by 57 per cent of the country’s people, besides Chinyanja, Chiyo, and Chitumbuka, there are several other languages spoken in the area.
10. Rwanda
Rwanda is a landlocked country in Central Africa, with a total population of just over 4 million people. Whereas only 0.2 per cent of the country’s 13 million residents are fluent English speakers. After Swahili and Kinyarwanda, English is the third speaking language in the region.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that the African continent is home to a plethora of indigenous and native languages, English has managed to hold its own, though, this is because of the British empire’s colonization which continues to this day.
However, being a tourist or a businessperson, you won’t have any trouble getting along in Africa because English is a language which is widely spoken and understood by the majority of the population.