By Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo, GNA
Accra, Feb. 06, GNA -Ewulu Nii Adjei Klu, a Ga Cultural Heritage Expert and Veteran Broadcaster, has called on the government to fulfil its commitment to ensure the inclusion of the Ga-Dangme languages in a Google-partnered artificial intelligence (AI) education project.
Mr Klu, who is also the author of ‘Culture Never Dies’ (Kusumgbooo), said the exclusion of Ga-Dangme from the pilot phase of the project was unacceptable, particularly as Akan (Twi), Ewe, Dagbani, and Hausa had been selected.
He made the call following a courtesy visit by Mr Haruna Iddrisu, the Minister of Education, to the Ga Mantse Palace, after public concerns were raised by members of the Ga communities over the omission.
During the visit, Mr Iddrisu assured the Ga State of the government’s commitment to including Ga and Dangme in the AI learning platform, which is being implemented in partnership with Google.
“Every society and its culture, and language is at the forefront of the definition of that culture,” the Minister said, adding that no indigenous language should be marginalised in national education policies.
He described it as unthinkable for any government to deliberately exclude the Ga language and pledged to personally supervise the process, including discussions with President John Dramani Mahama, to ensure Ga-Dangme was captured.
Mr Adjei Klu, speaking with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), however, said the Ga people would closely monitor the implementation of the Minister’s assurances, stressing that promises alone were insufficient.
He recalled that the Ga language was the first Ghanaian language to be standardised with an alphabet and the first to have a Bible translation in 1868, noting that it played a foundational role in education and public communication in the country.
He explained that when radio broadcasting began in the Gold Coast in 1935, four Ghanaian languages (Ga, Akan, Ewe and Dagbani) were used alongside English to disseminate information, a practice that continued until additional languages were later introduced.
“If these four languages were good enough as pioneering languages for radio education, why can they not be used again as pilot languages for artificial intelligence?” he questioned.
Mr Klu said respect must be accorded to the indigenous language of the capital city, Accra, warning that sidelining Ga-Dangme could deepen perceptions of marginalisation.
He expressed concern that the AI project might exhaust its resources at the pilot stage, leaving excluded languages, especially the Ga language, permanently disadvantaged.
“Language is very sensitive,” he said, citing global conflicts where language marginalisation had contributed to social unrest, and stressing that foreign institutions should not undertake language-related projects without full consultation and consent from national authorities.
He criticised what he described as longstanding discrimination against Ga language education, including the posting of trained Ga teachers outside Accra, limited government support for Ga textbooks, and the neglect of publications by the Bureau of Ghana Languages.
According to him, Ga and Dangme teachers continued to graduate from institutions such as the University of Education, Winneba, and the University of Cape Coast, yet schools in Ga-Dangme areas still complained of shortages.
Mr Klu warned that the Ga State would not relent until concrete results were achieved. “We will not rest until we see action. If promises are not honoured, we will take all legitimate steps to demand accountability,” he said.
Google plans to invest $1 billion in Africa and has already invested $37 million in establishing an AI Centre of Excellence for research and innovation in Ghana.
GNA
Edited by Linda Asante Agyei