AI Translation: The bridge between Ghana's languages and the future

President John Dramani Mahama’s call for the use of local languages in schools is a bold and visionary idea. It reminds us that our languages — Twi, Ewe, Ga, Dagbani, and others, carry our history, identity, and pride. Teaching children in their own languages helps them think better, understand faster, and grow with confidence in who they are.

But as we celebrate this idea, one big question arises:

How do we keep our Ghanaian identity strong while preparing our children for a world driven by science, technology, and artificial intelligence, where English dominates?

The answer lies in technology itself. Modern translation tools powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help Ghana make Mahama’s vision a reality without losing touch with global progress.

1. How AI translation can help Ghanaian education

Today, translation technology has become so advanced that computers can listen, translate, and even speak in different languages in real time.

Here’s how this can help Ghana:

• In the classroom: A teacher can teach in Twi or Ewe, while an AI-powered tool shows the English version of the words or sentences instantly on a screen.

• For teachers: A teacher who feels less confident in English can use translation software to prepare bilingual lesson notes.

• For students: A student can write an essay or record a voice note in their local language, and AI will translate it into English.

This way, Ghanaian children can learn science and technology in both Twi and English, understanding the ideas deeply without being limited by language.

2. Making learning materials available in local languages

One major challenge is that most textbooks, videos, and online courses are in English. AI translation tools can help fix this quickly.

• Ghana can use these tools to translate science, ICT, and mathematics books into local languages.

• Educational videos and websites like Khan Academy or YouTube Learning can be subtitled or voiced in Twi, Ga, or Ewe.

• Special digital dictionaries can be created, for example, “Science in Twi” or “Technology in Ewe.”

This will help children see that their languages can express even the most advanced ideas.

3. Helping rural schools catch up

In many rural areas, teachers and students struggle because English is a second or third language. AI translation can bring equality to the classroom.

• Offline apps can translate lessons even without the internet.

• Students can use smartphones to learn English words for what they already know in Twi or Dagbani.

• Local FM stations can use AI tools to broadcast educational programs in both English and local languages.

This means no child is left behind because of language differences.

4. Preserving and modernizing Ghanaian languages

AI translation tools don’t just translate; they learn from the languages they use. By feeding Twi, Ewe, Ga, and Dagbani texts and recordings into AI systems, Ghana can preserve these languages digitally.

This is important for the future because it ensures our languages appear in global systems — from mobile phones to international AI models.

In this regard, Ghana already has a valuable opportunity: Her Excellency Genevieve Edna Apaloo, Ghana’s Ambassador to Japan, is working on an educational collaboration between Ghanaian universities and Tohoku University in Japan.

This partnership can help develop language technology and research exchange, allowing Ghana to build AI tools that understand our local languages and support bilingual education.

Imagine saying “Okyeame” to your phone, and it understands exactly what you mean, that’s the future we can build if we invest in language technology today.

5. Building the Foundation: Teaching AI to understand Ghanaian languages

However, there’s one important truth we must recognize: AI cannot understand Ghanaian languages unless we first teach it.

Artificial intelligence learns by studying large collections of text and sound, what experts call a “language database” or corpus. Without it, AI cannot translate or process Twi, Ewe, or Ga effectively.

To make AI translation work for Ghana, we must build our own language database. Here’s how we can do it step by step:

Step 1: Create a National Language Corpus Project

Ghana can launch a Ghana Language Corpus Project to collect books, stories, proverbs, songs, and radio programs in local languages, paired with their English translations. This will serve as training data for AI.

Step 2: Mobilize Universities and Linguists

Departments of Ghanaian Languages can lead this effort by collecting and digitizing materials. Students and linguists can help transcribe oral traditions and standardize spelling for AI models.

Step 3: Build AI Models Through Partnerships

Once enough data is collected, Ghana can partner with Google AI, OpenAI, or Meta’s “No Language Left Behind” project, as well as Tohoku University, to build AI models that understand our languages.

Step 4: Apply the Technology in Schools

After development, bilingual classroom tools can be introduced. A teacher could speak in Twi, and AI would show the English version instantly, but this will only be possible once we “teach” the AI our languages first.

This foundation work will preserve our linguistic heritage while opening a new era of digital learning for Ghana.

6. What Ghana can learn from Japan

Japan teaches science, technology, and engineering in Japanese, but students still learn English as a bridge to the world. Japan built its own scientific words in Japanese and used translation to keep up with global innovation.

Ghana can do the same: create our own local-language terms for modern concepts while using English for international connection.

7. Policy recommendations

To make this vision a reality, Ghana should consider the following actions:

1. Create a National Translation and AI Center (NTAC): Develop local-language AI tools and bilingual textbooks.

2. Develop a Ghanaian Language Database: Digitize Ghanaian stories, textbooks, and voice samples for AI training.

3. Train Teachers in Bilingual Teaching: Colleges of Education should include bilingual and digital teaching methods.

4. Partner with Tech Companies and Universities: Work with Google, Microsoft, and Tohoku University to build accurate Ghanaian-language AI systems.

5. Support Startups Developing Local Language Apps: Offer grants under the 24-Hour Economy to support innovators creating educational apps.

6. Promote Open Access Bilingual Textbooks: Encourage universities and publishers to produce bilingual materials under open licenses.

7. The Bigger Picture

President Mahama’s idea is not just about language, it’s about belonging and empowerment. When a Ghanaian child learns physics in Twi or coding in Ewe, they realize that knowledge does not belong to any one language or culture. It belongs to those who make the effort to understand.

AI translation gives Ghana a golden opportunity to unite culture and technology, to make learning easier for millions of children, and to ensure our languages grow stronger, not weaker, in the modern world.

Conclusion

Ghana does not have to choose between identity and progress. We can keep our languages alive while teaching our children to thrive in the digital age.

With the help of AI translation tools, once we build the database to teach AI our languages, a student can think in Twi, study in English, and build innovations for the world.

That is the true meaning of development, when the language of our ancestors meets the technology of our future.