It would not be preposterous to opine that language and communication play a paramount
role in the quest for development, be it human, social, political, technological and any other
form of development. A paramount role because knowledge, which is the life wire of any
development effort, is acquired through information. Information comes through
communication powered by language. Looking at Africa as a continent, the plurality of
official languages or languages of instruction, through which information flows,
undoubtedly constitutes a barrier to effective human development processes. It is based on
this background that this paper aims at exploring the concept of Foreign Languages for
Specific Purposes (FLSP), a paradigm of human development, which has not been
optimally activated in African educational settings, as against what obtains in the
developed world. The paper begins by defining the concept of Language for Specific
Purposes (LSP), goes further to critically analyse the dividends of international
bilingualism and the possible impact of the learning of FLSP on sustainable human
development in Africa. To conclude, the paper recommends various practical and
pragmatic approaches, which include the establishment of FLSP centers in African
universities and other equivalent institutions of higher learning, as steps towards the
optimal activation of the concept in the continent
