• Burkina Faso and Ghana discussed a bilateral teacher mobility program to address skills shortages and promote bilingualism.

• The proposal includes sending Ghanaian English teachers to Burkina Faso and Burkinabè French teachers to Ghana.

• Burkina Faso plans to generalize English teaching in all primary schools, while only 3% of Ghanaians speak French, according to official data.

During a courtesy visit to Ghana’s Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, on January 14, Burkina Faso’s ambassador to Ghana, David Kabré, opened discussions on a teacher mobility project between the two countries. The initiative aims to strengthen bilateral education cooperation.

At the center of the talks, Ghana plans to send English teachers to Burkina Faso, while Burkina Faso plans to deploy French teachers to Ghana. The project fits into a broader regional cooperation framework focused on strengthening human capital. Ambassador Kabré said the program would consolidate English teaching in Burkina Faso, provide Burkinabè teachers with training opportunities in Ghana, and deepen educational and cultural ties between the two countries.

In response, Minister Iddrisu said authorities welcomed the proposal and confirmed plans to launch a formal educational staff exchange program. Under the partnership, Ghanaian teachers would teach English in Burkina Faso, while Burkinabè teachers would support French language instruction in Ghana.

For Burkina Faso, English teaching represents a key lever for opening access to international markets and integrating into a globalized economy. In September 2025, the government announced plans to generalize English teaching across all primary school grades, following a pilot phase in 824 schools. However, the Ministry of National Education, Literacy, and Promotion of National Languages said the system still faces a shortage of trained teachers and pedagogical adaptation challenges.

In Ghana, French language acquisition also remains a strategic issue. Although schools teach French, only 3% of the population speaks the language, according to official data. In April 2025, Ghana reaffirmed its commitment to the Francophonie by participating in the Francophonie Walk, which promoted French as an educational and economic tool. Mildred Frimpong, Director General of Ghonline, a French-language education promotion group, said, “Strengthening French learning in Ghana would allow young people to gain better professional prospects in the predominantly French-speaking West African sub-region.”

This article was initially published in French by Félicien Houindo Lokossou

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum