In a move to further distance itself from its colonial past, the government of Niger has officially adopted the Hausa language as the nation’s national language.

In a new charter released last week and published in a special edition of the government’s official journal, the military government announced that the country has dropped French as its official language.

The document declared that henceforth “The national language is Hausa,” but stated that “the working languages” remain both English and French.

Prior to the announcement, Hausa had already been the most commonly spoken language across the country, particularly in regions such as Zinder, Maradi, and Tahoua.

According to reports, most of the country’s population of approximately 26 million people understand and speak Hausa.

In comparison, only around three million people—just 13 per cent of the entire population—can speak French.

The new charter also officially lists nine other local languages, including Zarma-Songhay, Fula, Kanuri, Gourmanche, and Arabic, as “the spoken languages of Niger.”