Beyond Borders: Francophonie Day 2026 highlights French as a gateway for Nigerian careers

Returning for the third year in a row, this year’s highly anticipated International Day of Francophonie in Lagos, drew hundreds of guests and visitors to Alliance Francaise in Ikoyi, Lagos, the venue of the annual celebrations to mark the global day.

Organised by the Consulate General of France in partnership with Alliance Francaise, the Consulate General of Switzerland and the Embassy of Canada in Nigeria, the celebration was marked with three film screenings, culinary experiences, musical performances, poetry renditions, networking and a competition.

The selected films screened were, Un monde merveilleux (A Wonderful World) by Giulio Callegari (French); Une Colonie (A Colony) by Genevieve Dulude-De Celles (Canada) and Tambour battant by Francois-Christophe Marzal (Switzerland).

Speaking, the Consul General of France in Lagos, Laurent Favier, reiterated that the day and language as a whole, is celebrated yearly on March 20 and holds a special place in history. He said the three movies earmarked to commemorate the day was a celebration of the French language and culture through film and the media.

Adding that there are about 400 million speakers of the language around the world, he revealed that about 65 per cent of its speakers live in Africa and reiterated the need for Nigeria to embrace the language more.

Touching on the theme for this year, ‘Un Monde a Venir’ (imagine the world of tomorrow), he said the aim is “to create today, the future we wish to see tomorrow. Our target is students who are the future of tomorrow and we are focused on five states for now, Enugu, Abuja, Lagos, Plateau and Oyo.”

The Francophonie he said, has four missions- promote French as a language; foster peace, democracy and human rights; support higher education and research; as well as develop a sustainable cooperation for future generations. Adding that it is an important language spoken at international organisations, he pointed out that it can assist Nigerian speakers that intend to pursue an international career.

Revealing some of their activities over the last three years, he noted that they have equipped schools and trained hundreds of teachers to make them more proficient.

He further revealed that they recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the University of Caen located in the Northwest of France and the French village in Badagry, to award master degrees from that university locally.

“We now have 22 Nigerian universities who are a part of our French Research Centre and the goal is to add more. Asides getting people to enjoy French books and films, we want to equip people with the language because I believe it can shape not just careers but every aspect of life.”

Adding that Nigeria is already surrounded by French-speaking countries, he said mastery of the language would afford even more opportunities for business expansion, grow the film, music and media industry as well as foster stronger relationship regionally and internationally.

Carlos Rojas-Arbulu, Deputy high commissioner of Canada in Nigeria,  noted that the Francophonie day unites 90 states and governments and is central to their national identity. “Our participation aims to promote diversity, sharing of culture and so many other values that fosters a sustainable future and makes the Francophonie as rich as it is.”

Highlighting the importance of the day to Nigeria, he said interest in the French language and culture is real and vibrant, especially among young people, in academic circles and among business people who wish to expand to the Francophonie market in West Africa and beyond.

On her part, the Consul General of Switzerland in Lagos, Conny Camenzind, expressed excitement as the interest and passion the language was generating, especially among young Nigerians and conveyed hope that it expands and becomes more mainstream.

The evening climaxed with the presentation of gifts to the schools that participated in the ‘La Compete’, an inter-school competition showcasing student’s talents in French poetry, music and debate. Greensprings Secondary School Lekki came third place while Riverbank Secondary School came second position with the top spot going to Wellspring College to the delight of all present.