Former National Chairman of the People’s National Convention (PNC) and Presidential aspirant, Bernard Mornah has announced his plan to make Akan the official language of Ghana if elected President in the upcoming December 7 elections.
Speaking in an interview on Adom TV’s morning show, Badwam, Mr Mornah proposed a multilingual approach, with Akan as the national language, Ga as the primary language in Accra, and Hausa for communication across West Africa.
He added that, English and French would become optional under his administration.
“My government will have three languages, one is Akan as the national language. And if you are in Accra, Ga the mother tongue will be the focus and Hausa can be spoken across West Africa. English and French will be optional,” he said.
Bernard Mornah argued that, Ghana’s reliance on English, a foreign language, as the official language has hindered national progress.
He believes adopting an indigenous language like Akan could enhance cultural connection and development, similar to other developed countries such as Japan, France, China, Germany, Belgium, and India, which use their native languages officially.
“One of the reasons why we are not progressing as a country is that a foreign language is our official tongue. So we have to learn the language to be able to progress in other aspects of our lives. But if you look at other countries and the level of development between them and their country, it shows that there is a level of connection between your language and your level of development.
“But for us when you go to school our local language is termed as vernacular and is not accepted. So most people who have great minds and cannot learn the English language are being sidelined,” he added.
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