Why UN Peace Messages Fail When They Are Not in Local Languages: Lessons from Ghana

I have covered ECOWAS summits for Ghana Broadcasting Corporation. I have taught international relations to more than 200 students in Accra. And I have learned one simple truth: people do not trust a peace message they cannot hear in their own language.

In Accra, I teach in English. But when I go to the market, I bargain in Ga and Twi. When I speak to my family in the Volta Region, I speak Ewe. When I cross to Togo or Benin, I switch to Fon or Mina. This is normal for many Ghanaians. We are multilingual because survival requires it.

Yet many international peace and security messages in West Africa arrive in only two languages: English and French. Sometimes, only in English.

During my years at GBC, I translated reports on violent extremism, ECOWAS mediation and community resilience. I saw the gap. A policy brief written in perfect English in Accra or Abuja means little to a mother in northern Ghana or a youth leader in the Sahel if no one has taken the time to explain it in Twi, Ewe or Hausa.

This is not just about translation. It is about trust.

My current research focuses on security, diplomacy and local engagement for international cooperation. The core idea is simple: international cooperation fails when it forgets the local.

Three Lessons from Ghana

Security Is Explained, Not Announced

When ECOWAS talks about violent extremism in the Sahel, communities want to know: What does it mean for my village?

If you cannot answer that question in Ga, Twi or Ewe, the message is seen as foreign, even if the threat is local.

Diplomacy Lives in Languages

As National Vice-President of France Alumni Ghana, I saw how French opened doors. But it was Ewe and Fon that built trust across the Ghana-Togo-Benin border.

For African Union and United Nations operations, local languages are strategic assets, not just cultural heritage.

Local Engagement Is a Skill, Not an Afterthought

At the Modern School for Languages, I supervise research on community resilience. The best students are those who can interview in a local language and write a policy brief in English and French.

That bridging skill is exactly what international organizations need.

Multilingualism Is Expertise

If we want to be recognized as African professionals, we must stop seeing multilingualism as something to hide on a CV.

It is our expertise. It is a strategic asset for diplomacy, peacebuilding and international cooperation. And in a continent as diverse as Africa, it may be one of the most important tools we have for building trust where it matters most.