The Head of Corporation and Cultural Affairs at the French Ambassy, Mr Arnaud Dornon has stressed the need for the Ghana Education Service (GES) to make the teaching of the French language compulsory at the senior high school level

“Though Ghana is surrounded by French-speaking countries (La Cote d'Ivoire, Togo, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali and Benin), most Ghanaians cannot communicate effectively in French when they find themselves in any of these countries.The result is that they lose good opportunities to work in these countries.”

Mr Dornon made the call at a ceremony to honour the former president of the Ghana Association of French Teachers, Mr Evans Kokroko at the Alliance Francaise in Accra.

He received a medal from the government of France for the promotion of the French language in Ghana.

Mr Kokroko is currently a lecturer at the University of Mines and Technology at Tarkwa in the Western Region.

Mr Dornan said most of the graduates in Ghana could gain employment in neighbouring French-speaking countries if they could express themselves and write in the French language.

'Today, some prominent people have regretted missing out on the French language and wish they had the opportunity to learn and speak it now than face the embarrassment of having translators in the era of ECOWAS and globalisation,' he stated.

According to him, Ghanaians who took up appointments in the West African sub-region relished their ability to speak fluent French or at least understand spoken French, adding that, these people therefore end up attending French classes organised by Alliance Francaise or other private institutions.

Mr Dornon noted that “students who entered the universities and opted to read French and other foreign languages today appreciated their good judgement due to the ease with which they secured international appointments or effectively communicate with their colleagues who fluently speak French, German, Italian, or Spanish.

Mr Kokroko expressed appreciation to the French government for honouring him and gave the assurance that he would continue to promote the language in the country.

According to him, it was imperative that young students at the basic education level w ere taught the language to enhance their job search, particularly in neighbouring countries.

‘’ We cannot always depend on the government, institutions and the society to help our children. As parents, it is our duty to ensure that we offer our children the best of quality education, particularly in foreign languages to enhance their chances of gaining employment in other countries,” Mr Kokroko stated.

He said with the compulsory learning of the French language, the Ghanaian economy would benefit since most of the french speaking countries would prefer investing in the country because of mutual understanding.