On 16th November 2023, His Excellency Ambassador Baraka Luvanda visited Osaka University in Osaka, Japan and held discussions with Professor Takemura Keiko, the Dean of the Foreign Languages Faculty, who was accompanied by the other two Kiswahili lecturers.
The purpose of the visit was to establish contacts with the Department of Kiswahili language teaching at Osaka University and explore ways to foster broader cooperation. During the discussion, Ambassador Luvanda thanke the Department for promoting Kiswahili language by including it among the foreign language being taught at a degree level. He expressed his desire to see that the Kiswahili teaching programme continues for many years to come.
Osaka University is renowned for its expertise in teaching foreign languages, with 25-degree programs in international languages. The Department of Kiswahili at Osaka University is the only department that deals with Africa and was established in 1986 then known as Osaka University of Foreign Studies. The degree program takes four years, and the University admits an average of 18 to 20 Kiswahili students every year. Since the establishment of the Kiswahili Department in 1986, around 700 students have obtained their degrees in Kiswahili language.
During the visit, Ambassador Luvanda had an opportunity to interact with students studying Kiswahili at Osaka University. He was impressed by their enthusiasm and dedication to learning the language and exchanged ideas with them, encouraging them to inspire more Japanese to learn and practice the language.
At the end of the visit, Ambassador Luvanda invited the Department to partner with Embassy to organize the 3rd Kiswahili Language International Day in July 2024.
