Tanzania plans to construct a university specifically for teaching Kiswahili language, the Minister for Culture, Arts and Sports, Mohammed Mchengerwa, announced on Thursday.

Mchengerwa announced the plans during celebrations marking the first World Kiswahili Language Day in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

The 41st session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed July 7 of each year as World Kiswahili Language Day, making it the first African language to be recognized in such a manner by the UN.

Mchengerwa said the government has set aside 100 hectares of land for the construction of the university for teaching Kiswahili.

He said the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Sports will next week meet senior officials from UNESCO to discuss on the construction of the university.

In her message, UNESCO director general, Audrey Azoulay, said Kiswahili spoken by over 200 million people across the world, is one of the most widely used African languages, encompassing more than a dozen main dialects.