Policy Coordinator of La Francophonie, Office of the President in Ghana, Francis Koku Afelete has highlighted the growing role of the French language in complementing Ghana’s linguistic potential.
Speaking on episode 3 of Franco Vybz, Afelete noted that French can serve as an important addition to Ghana’s language landscape, particularly as the country continues to engage with Francophone countries. “The importance of French in Ghana is a natural thing because looking at Ghana’s sociology, we cannot but speak French. ” he stated.
According to him, the presence and growing interest in French in Ghana adds to the country’s existing linguistic strengths and creates opportunities for greater communication across linguistic and cultural borders.
“The French language is not competing with English. It is actually complimenting the Ghana’s potentials in the area of language. We deal with our neighbours in Togo, Burkina Faso in Ivory Coast, which language are we going to communicate with them in?” he quizzed.
He believes embracing the French language can further strengthen Ghana’s ability to connect, communicate and explore opportunities within the wider Francophone community.
The conversation formed part of the third episode of FrancoVybz, hosted by award-winning broadcaster Rev Erskine. The podcast seeks to examine the cultural, creative and professional connections between Ghana and the Francophone world, while creating a platform for discovery and exchange among young audiences.
FrancoVybz airs on all YFM Ghana stations every Saturdays (Y107.9FM in Accra at 3:30pm; Y102.5FM in Kumasi & Y97.9FM in Takoradi at 5:30pm) with repeats on Wednesdays at 10pm.
Episodes are also available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Audiomack under the name FrancoVybz.