Ghana has renewed its global advocacy for multilingual education and the protection of indigenous languages, with its High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ireland, Sabah Zita Benson, using the platform of the UK Parliament to spotlight the country’s inclusive language policies.
Speaking at an event marking International Mother Language Day 2026 in UK Parliament, the High Commissioner underscored Ghana’s belief that linguistic diversity is central to national development, cultural dignity and social inclusion.
The commemorative programme, organised by the Bangladesh High Commission in the United Kingdom, brought together diplomats, lawmakers and cultural advocates to reflect on the global importance of preserving mother tongues.
Ms Benson paid tribute to the People’s Republic of Bangladesh for its historic role in advancing linguistic rights on the international stage.
She noted that it was through Bangladesh’s initiative that UNESCO proclaimed 21 February as International Mother Language Day in 1999 — a declaration later endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly.
She warned that with nearly 40 per cent of the world’s estimated 7,000 languages at risk of extinction, the loss of any language represents the disappearance of unique cultural knowledge and intellectual heritage.
Highlighting Ghana’s domestic framework, the High Commissioner pointed out that the country is home to more than 80 indigenous languages, including Akan, Ewe, Ga and Dagbani, which play vital roles in community governance and cultural continuity.
She reaffirmed Ghana’s language-in-education policy, which promotes mother-tongue instruction in the early years of schooling before transitioning to English — an approach aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 4 on quality education.
Concluding her address, Ms Benson stressed that linguistic diversity strengthens rather than divides nations, pledging Ghana’s continued collaboration with Bangladesh and the wider international community to ensure inclusive multilingual policies that leave no community behind.
