Haruna Iddrisu is the Minister of Education
The GaDangme Council has raised concerns over the exclusion of the Ga language from the Ministry of Education’s initiative to incorporate some local Ghanaian languages into an AI educational tool.
On January 22, 2026, the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, following a high-level engagement with Google officials, announced that Ghana is deepening its use of indigenous languages in education and digital services, with Twi, Ewe, Dagbani, and Hausa set to be integrated into advanced artificial intelligence tools.
This announcement sparked widespread condemnation from the Ga and Adangme communities, who described the exclusion of their language as discriminatory.
In a statement issued on January 24, 2026, the Council described the omission of Ga as unacceptable, warning that it could deepen the marginalisation of the Ga and GaDangme communities in the Greater Accra Region, where the seat of government and the Ministry are located.
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The Council noted that, as of mid-2024, Google Translate had added Ga to its supported languages, allowing for translation of text, phrases, and web pages between English and Ga.
This omission, the Council argued, undermines cultural identity and erodes self-esteem.
The Council therefore called on the Minister to clarify whether the exclusion of Ga was an oversight or an intentional decision. They warned that if the omission was deliberate, due process must be followed to reverse such a decision.
“While we commend government efforts to promote indigenous languages through technology and AI, inclusivity must not be selective. A national AI policy that elevates some languages while sidelining others creates linguistic inequality and sets a dangerous precedent,” the statement read.
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Source:
www.ghanaweb.com
