The importance of English language skills in international diplomacy cannot be overstated, especially for the workers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation who interact with people worldwide. Although French is the working language for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation staff in the context of Burkina
Faso, they need to be proficient in English to communicate effectively with English-speaking partners. To improve their spoken English skills, some employees from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation enroll in English language courses offered by various private language centres. The problem underlying this study is that workers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation struggle to effectively communicate in English with their English speaking countries partners. This paper therefore, examines the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation workers’ challenges to use English, and their motivation of learning it as a foreign language. It also highlights the strategies that instructors in English language centres implement to satisfy those workers’ needs. This study hypothesises that (1) workers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation face many challenges in using English to communicate with their partners; (2) they are motivated to learn English; and (3) English proficiency brings various opportunities to workers’ professional development. The study uses a mixed-methods approach to collect and analyse data referring to Maslow’s motivation theory which states that human actions are aimed at achieving goals. The sample includes 39 clerical workers, 25 directors (all within the Ministry), and 11 language centre managers selected purposively. With mixed methods approach and Maslow’s theory in mind, we expect the following results: the employees from the Ministry need English for their daily duties; a good command of English is a significant advantage for these workers.

Challenges, Diplomacy, EFL, Learning, Motivation, Opportunities, Workers