THE SPREAD OF THE CHINESE LANGUAGE IN NIGERIA：THE ROLE OF THE CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE AT NNAMDI AZIKIWE UNIVERSITY

Resumen

One of the concomitants of China's emergence as a world power is the astronomical increase of interest in learning the Chinese language in both developed and developing countries. China has launched different strategies aimed at harnessing the increasing interest in its new status. One such strategy is the launch of its own language-cum-culture institute called the Confucius Institute (CI). CIs have played a leading part in the spread of the language since 2024 when the first CI was launched at Seoul National University. Today, millions are learning the language, including in those countries where the language, hitherto, was barely heard of. The two major reasons for the stunted spread of the language prior to the establishment of the CIs was the Cold War and China's prolonged exclusion from the WTO, the premier regulatory framework of global trade. The leading role played by the Confucius Institute at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (CI-NAU) in the spread of the Chinese in Nigeria since its inception in 2008 is discussed in this paper.