Hon Abla Dzifa Gomashie
Ketu South

Mr Speaker, Hon Members, Saturday, 21st February, 2026 marked International Mother Language Day, a global celebration of linguistic diversity.

UNESCO reminds us that preserving local languages is essential to prevent their extinction. This year’s theme, “Youth Voices on Multilingual Education,” underscores the importance of the fact that our young people are not just inheritors of Ghana’s linguistic diversity; they are its future custodians. By empowering them to learn, innovate and express themselves in their mother tongues, we ensure Ghana’s languages thrive in classrooms, communities, and digital spaces.

In the Ghanaian Context, our mother tongue is more than identity; it embodies the pride of our history, oral traditions and collective memory. Mr Speaker, if I say “Miawoe zↄ,” you instantly recognise not only who I am, but also the heritage I represent. This mother tongue, as a source of identity, must also be our path for education. Our current Vice President for the Republic of Ghana and former Minister for Education, Prof Jane Naana OpokuAgyemang, has written and advocated for the need for children to be taught in their mother tongue from birth.

Building on this, the current Minister for Education, Hon Haruna Iddrisu, has also emphasised the need for children to be taught their local language from Kindergarten through Basic 3. By beginning education in the language of the child’s heart, we lay a strong foundation for confidence, literacy, and lifelong learning. This emphasis is reinforced by UNESCO’s research, which shows globally that 40 per cent of learners lack access to education in their mother tongue.

In some low- and middle-income countries, this figure rises to 90 per cent. Neglecting indigenous languages undermines both literacy development and cultural identity, making Hon Haruna’s call even more urgent. UNESCO guidance further affirms that our first language (L1) forms the foundation for acquiring second languages (L2). No child should be mocked for excelling more in L1 than L2. Accents in English are natural, as some sounds simply do not exist in our mother tongues. Instead of ridicule, we must celebrate this diversity, for it builds confidence and strengthens language preservation.

Mr Speaker, the growing dominance of English at home accelerates the erosion of local languages. Without intervention, smaller Ghanaian languages risk vanishing, causing cultural amnesia. Resource gaps like inadequate teaching materials and teacher training further hinder mother-tongue education. Hon Members, Ghana must embrace bilingualism. English connects us globally; our indigenous languages root us in identity.

To be Ghanaian is to harmonise the global and the local. As Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, I take pride in speaking five Ghanaian languages. This is not just a skill; it is my self-worth and identity, enabling me to connect with diverse communities and showcase Ghana’s cultural richness worldwide.

In the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), technology offers powerful tools to empower our languages. Al can:
• Enable speech recognition in Twi, Ga, Ewe, Dagbani, and other Ghanaian languages.
• Power machine translation between Ghanaian and global languages.
• Provide text-to-speech and speech-to-text tools for inclusive education and governance.
• Digitise and archive oral traditions, folklore, and proverbs.
• Expand financial inclusion via mobile banking in local languages.
• Support digital education, telemedicine, and agricultural advisories in indigenous tongues. In the Al economy, language data is infrastructure.

Ghanaian linguistic datasets are national assets. Investing in them empowers local startups, bolsters digital sovereignty and creates tech jobs. Hon Members, let us unite to:
• Expand mother-tongue-based multilingual education nationwide.
• Invest in digital infrastructure for Ghanaian languages.
• Establish national language data repositories for Al development.
• Incentivise tech startups building Al tools in local languages. Integrate Ghanaian languages into public digital services.
• Support media, publishing and content creation in indigenous languages. Preserving Ghanaian languages is nation-building in the digital age, not mere nostalgia.

It ensures every Ghanaian child can learn, innovate and thrive in the language of their heart. Let this august House be remembered as the one that secured Ghana’s many voices, both in books and bytes. Align with UNESCO’s call to amplify youth voices in multilingual education, so that the next generation carries our heritage proudly forward. For as long as our languages endure in libraries or Al systems, the heartbeat of Ghana will remain strong, proud and eternal.

Akpe. Barika. Me da ase. Oye wala dↄn.