Madam Abla Dzifa Gomashie, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Friday urged Ghanaians to respect and appreciate all local languages to promote linguistic diversity and language education in the country.
“We must continue to research, document, and promote languages, as well as develop language education programmes that support linguistic diversity,” she said.
Madam Abla Gomashie made the call at the commemoration of the 2025 International Mother Language Day and the unveiling of a podcast and recording studios for the Bureau of Ghana Languages (BGL), in Accra.
She said languages were the fabric that weaved cultures, traditions, and history together, stressing that they were keys that unlocked the identities, values, and perspectives of people.
She, therefore, expressed concern over the extinction of some Ghanaian languages. UNESCO says 43 per cent of languages are at the risk of falling out of use and disappearing.
“This is a revealing statistic that should concern, that should be of concern to us all,” Madam Abla Gomashie warned.
The impact of an extinct language was not just a loss for the communities that spoke them but “a loss for humanity as a whole,” she noted.
“We don’t only lose a language, but we lose all the nuances and the things that we learn from them, our aspirations and experiences as well.”
While acknowledging efforts made over the years in promoting linguistic diversity and multilingualism, the Minister said more work was required to safeguard the country’s languages.
She called on language experts, authors, traditional leaders, custodians of Ghanaian languages, and academicians to conduct research and document them to promote linguistic diversity and preserve indigenous languages.
“We must continue to promote linguistic diversity, preserve endangered languages, and support language education, not the kind that we have right now, where in most schools, all children, even on the Ga land, are made to speak only a particular language and that is what is being taught,” she emphasised.
She urged management of the Bureau of Ghana Languages to use the podcast and recording studios to promote and preserve indigenous languages.
The studios are equipped with up-to-standard technology and equipment to provide a professional and comfortable space for recordings.
Mr Edmond Monkala, the UNESCO Representative to Ghana, called on the country to harness the power of technology to position its rich linguistic landscape to drive knowledge and development.
As a country with its rich linguistic landscape, Ghana exemplified the beauty and strength of multilingualism.
Despite the country’s large linguistic wealth, local languages remained marginalised in digital spaces, educational systems, and policy frameworks, stressing the need for the country to use technology to amplify them.
The unveiling of a podcast and recording studios by the Bureau of Ghana Languages, Mr Monkala said, was a commendable step in harnessing modern technology to sustain local languages.
Mr Enoch Adibuer, the Acting Director, Bureau of Ghana Languages, reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to linguistic diversity, language preservation and promotion.
The International Mother Language Day, also known as Mother Tongue Day, was instituted by UNESCO in 1999 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
It was on the theme: “Languages Matter: Silver Jubilee Celebration of International Mother Language Day.”
Source: myghanadaily
