To strengthen bilateral relations between Nigeria and Tanzania and to increase broadcasts in Swahili, 19 Voice of Nigeria employees have completed the basic stage of Swahili language training.
At the ceremony which took place at the Voice of Nigeria, VON headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, the Director General of VON, Mr. Osita Okechukwu lauded the continued growth in the bilateral relations between Nigeria and Tanzania.
Mr. Okechukwu said the dream of Pan-Africanism was being fostered through shared goals across Africa.
He added that the spread of the Swahili language will boost socio-economic development on the continent.
Meanwhile, the High Commissioner of Tanzania to Nigeria, Dr. Benson Alfred Bana said: “The decision for Voice of Nigeria to consider exposing core staff to Swahili language, the lingua franca of Tanzania, and the language of the East and Southern African regions of Africa is important not only to enhancing the pan Africanism spirit which the forefathers of Nigeria and Tanzania stood for.
“And I believe Tanzanians and Nigerians and Africans in general share a lot of common values, customs, and norms that define us as Africans, extending them or creating opportunities to move them forward is a step in the right direction,” he added.
Dr Bana said the Swahili language training was a very important strategy towards promoting and advancing Tanzania-Nigeria bilateral ties.
Also, the Director of the Training Department of Voice of Nigeria Hajiya Hawua Ajeje said the training was an opportunity to contribute towards reaching the global audience who are Kiswahili speakers.
She commended the Tanzania High Commission and Management of Voice of Nigeria for the opportunity and enjoined the participants to become “proficient in the use of Kiswahili for effective communication, to increase the personnel in the Kiswahili service of Voice of Nigeria.”
The event also featured a certificate presentation to the participants, a rendition of music by the participants in Swahili language and a photo session.
