Ghana moves from 11 to 16 standardised languages as Bureau restructuring advances

Ghana has increased the number of standardised Ghanaian languages from 11 to 16 following the restructuring of the Bureau of Ghana Languages by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts.

The Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, disclosed this during the Government Accountability Series held at the Presidency on August 10, 2026.

She said the restructuring fulfils the government’s promise to reposition the Bureau and give it a clear mandate to standardise the development of Ghanaian languages.

According to the Minister, the Bureau organised the Ghana Languages Dialogue in November last year, bringing together major stakeholders. The engagement sought to educate Ghanaians on the need to speak their local languages.

She explained that the Bureau is working to develop as many Ghanaian languages as possible so that they can be turned into reading and learning materials for schools. Towards this goal, the Ministry and the Bureau, in collaboration with the Member of Parliament for Ahanta West, Mavis Kukua Bisue, launched the orthography of the Ahanta language.

“On June 23, 2026, the Bureau launched three more standardised orthographies. These cover Kusaal, spoken by the Kusasi people in the Upper East Region, Likpakpaanl, spoken by the Konkomba people, and Sisaali, spoken by the Sisaala people,” she said.

The Minister stated that these efforts have moved the country from 11 to 16 standardised Ghanaian languages.

She added that three more standardised orthographies will be launched before the end of the year.

Madam Gomashie said the Bureau also marked the Ghana Languages Festival in July 2025 as part of efforts to preserve the mother tongue. She described the annual event as encouraging Ghanaians to speak their languages and pass them on to their children.

She further disclosed that the Bureau is producing animated content in Ghanaian languages. She said the aim is to introduce Ghanaian culture to children through cartoons.