A prominent Ghanaian economist and member of the Takie Commey wing of the Ga Paramount Stool Dzase, George Haldane Lutterodt, has expressed strong concern over the Ministry of Education’s decision to exclude the Ga language from the initial pilot phase of an AI-powered education tool. He described the omission as a terrible mistake and part of a broader pattern of neglect toward the indigenous language of Greater Accra.

In an interview, Mr Lutterodt voiced deep frustration that only three Ghanaian languages—Twi, Ewe and Dagbani—were selected for the pilot programme, reportedly developed in collaboration with Google, while Ga, spoken by millions in the capital region, was left out.

He argued that the exclusion risks marginalising a major local language at a time when artificial intelligence tools are becoming central to education and future opportunities.

“What the minister and the ministry did was a terrible mistake. It should never have happened,” Mr Lutterodt said.

He pointed to longstanding challenges, including shortages of qualified Ga language teachers in schools and the frequent use of other languages in official communications and public announcements within the capital.

Drawing an analogy to the principle of “might is right,” he questioned how Ghanaians would feel if larger African countries such as Nigeria, Egypt or Kenya excluded Ghana from a continental initiative simply because of population size.

“That is exactly how they are treating the indigenes,” he noted.

Mr Lutterodt further suggested that authorities, municipal assemblies and even churches in Greater Accra often prioritise other languages to accommodate non-indigenes, contributing to the gradual erosion of the Ga language. He praised former leaders Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Jerry John Rawlings for promoting Ga alongside other local languages and urged current officials to do the same.

He appealed directly to the President to intervene, warning that public sentiment on the issue is strong and could have political consequences.

“The people are angry—very, very angry,” he said, calling on Ga communities to come together. “Unite or perish. There is no other choice.”

Mr Lutterodt also described the Ministry of Education’s recent clarifying statement as insufficiently detailed, describing it as hollow and feeble—a classic bureaucratic response to an issue of profound importance to millions of Ga-Dangme people.

The GaDangme Council has similarly expressed disapproval, describing the initial exclusion as unfair.

In a weekend statement, the Ministry of Education emphasised that Ga and Adangbe (Dangme) have not been permanently excluded. It explained that the pilot phase—designed to test the tool’s effectiveness, adaptability and educational impact in selected languages—is temporary and intended to inform a full nationwide rollout.

“The pilot phase is intended to test the effectiveness of the tool before a nationwide rollout,” the Ministry stated, confirming that a successful evaluation would lead to expansion to cover all 12 approved Ghanaian languages, including Ga and Adangbe.

“At no point is the pilot intended to marginalise or permanently exclude any linguistic or cultural group within the country,” the statement added, reaffirming the Ministry’s commitment to inclusivity.

The AI initiative aims to improve access to digital learning through speech recognition and educational content delivered in local languages.

As discussions continue, stakeholders have called for open dialogue to address sensitivities surrounding linguistic diversity and to ensure that all Ghanaian languages are equitably included in the country’s digital education advancement.