Bureau of Ghana Languages rejects calls for indigenous language to become national language

• The Bureau of Ghana Languages says Ghana should not adopt one indigenous language as the national language.

• Executive Secretary Ebenezer Ahiator says English provides a common language while Ghanaian languages should be preserved.

• He warns that selecting one indigenous language could create the impression that other Ghanaian languages are less important.

The Bureau of Ghana Languages (BGL) has rejected calls for one indigenous Ghanaian language to be adopted as the country's national language, arguing that doing so could create the impression that some languages are more important than others.

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According to the Executive Secretary of the Bureau of Ghana Languages, Ebenezer Ahiator, English provides a common means of communication for Ghanaians from different linguistic backgrounds.

He made these remarks during an engagement with Parliament’s Committee on Chieftaincy, Culture and Religious Affairs.

He argued that while some indigenous languages may be more widely spoken than others, choosing one as a national language could disadvantage the rest.

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He explained that Ghanaians should instead be encouraged to learn and preserve indigenous languages while continuing to use English as the common language.

Mr Ahiator said there was value in learning other Ghanaian languages and warned against allowing any indigenous language to become less important because another had been selected as the country's national language.

According to Mr Ahiator, the concern is not that Ghana lacks indigenous languages that are widely spoken. Rather, the issue is what could happen to the country's many other languages if one of them were given special national status.

He said Ghana already has a common language in English and that introducing another language as the national language could create divisions or make speakers of other languages feel their languages are less important.

Mr Ahiator said Ghanaians do not need to learn every indigenous language in the country, but should make efforts to learn some languages beyond their own.

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The Bureau of Ghana Languages is mandated to promote the study, development and use of Ghanaian languages. Its work includes producing materials in Ghanaian languages and supporting their teaching and wider use.