Conference Paper

Language Policy, Digital Governance, and Inclusive Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

Inclusive development and digital governance in Sub-Saharan Africa is still significantly reliant on language, but rarely explored. Governments are increasingly turning to digital platforms to deliver public services, create identities for citizens, educate, deliver health care, tax, and engage citizens in civic life, but these platforms can generate exclusion when they are based primarily on colonial official languages and inter-linguistic practices, instead of indigenous African languages and practices. The paper provides a discussion on the linkages between language policy and digital governance, and inclusive development in Sub-Saharan Africa. It claims that making a service online is not enough, inclusion requires that citizens can access, understand, trust and use digital systems in languages that are reflective of their social realities. Based on the discussion of multilingualism, digital transformation and participatory governance, the paper places language at the heart of the design of digital systems for citizens. Despite the focus on inclusion of the digital society in the African Union draft and the concern with linguistic diversity in digital spaces in the UNESCO 2003 Recommendation on linguistic diversity and universal access to languages, there are significant gaps in internet access, affordability, digital literacy, and local content that would prevent technology from ensuring inclusion (African Union, 2020; GSMA, 2024; UNESCO, 2003; World Bank, n.d.). Language sensitive digital governance is required to enhance access to public services, build confidence in the state, promote democratic engagement and lower social marginalisation, the paper concludes. It suggests multilingual digital policies that view African languages as legitimate political, innovative and citizenship tools. Keywords: language policy, digital governance, multilingualism, Sub-Saharan Africa, digital inclusion.