Ahanta West MP Hails Teaching of Ayinda in Schools, Launches Education Trust Fund

As Ghana officially adds the Ahanta language (Ayinda) to the list of indigenous languages taught in schools, the Member of Parliament for Ahanta West, Mavis Kuukua Bissue, has launched the Ayindamaale Education Trust Fund to support the teaching and study of the language and ensure the policy delivers lasting impact.
Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, Hon. Bissue described the approval of the Ayinda orthography and its certification for teaching and examination as a historic milestone for the Ahanta people and the country.
“Without deliberate and structured intervention, the Ahanta language faced a real danger of disappearing. Today, that danger has been decisively confronted,” she said.
Parliamentary Advocacy Fulfilled
Hon. Bissue recalled that on June 2, 2025, she presented a statement on the floor of Parliament urging the government to integrate Ghanaian languages such as Ayinda into the national curriculum.
“Today, that call has become a reality,” she said, expressing gratitude to President John Dramani Mahama, Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, Speaker Alban Bagbin, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu, and Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Minister Abla Dzifa Gomashie for supporting the initiative.
Cultural Identity and Survival
Ayinda, a Central Tano language within the Kwa branch of the Niger-Congo family, is spoken by the Ahanta people in the Western Region and shares linguistic links with languages in south-eastern Côte d’Ivoire.
According to Hon. Bissue, the language embodies the Ahanta people’s worldview, moral values, governance systems, folklore, and spiritual traditions.
“To lose Ayinda would not simply mean losing a means of communication; it would mean losing our cultural memory,” she noted.
She also referenced the Ahanta–Dutch War of 1838 and the sacrifice of Otumfuo Badu Bonsu II, who resisted foreign domination and the slave trade, as part of the legacy the language preserves.
Education and Economic Benefits
The approval of Ayinda opens opportunities for curriculum development, teacher training, academic research, and job creation within the education and cultural sectors.
Hon. Bissue acknowledged the decades-long work of Dr. Komenla Ntumy, Mr. Francis Barnasko Dadzie, and the Ghana Institute of Linguistics, Literacy and Bible Translation (GILLBT), as well as the Bureau of Ghana Languages, the University of Education, Winneba, the Ahanta Renaissance Project, and traditional authorities.
Ayindamaale Education Trust Fund
To sustain the momentum, Hon. Bissue announced the Ayindamaale Education Trust Fund, established to provide scholarships and bursaries to brilliant but needy students and to support teacher training and material development for Ayinda.
The first beneficiaries are expected to be selected from January 23, 2026.
She called on Ahantas in the diaspora, the business community, and cultural advocates to support the initiative through funding, volunteering, and community engagement.
A Defining Moment
“When a people preserve their language, they preserve their identity, dignity, and future,” Hon. Bissue said, quoting environmentalist Wangari Maathai.
The integration of Ayinda into Ghana’s educational curriculum marks a major step in safeguarding linguistic diversity and strengthening cultural heritage for generations to come.