English Language and Sustainable Development in Ghana

Abstract

The choice of English as either national or official language in English as Second Language (ESL) situations has been the subject of many academic and political discourses for a long time now. After (colonial) independence, many African nations, including Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Zambia, have had to grapple with the problem of language choice. Many people have argued for the choice and development of local languages for national and/or official purposes. However, it appears that the argument for the choice of local languages is based on language loyalty and nationalism rather than real socio politico-economic needs of the times. It is my conviction that the argument must be based on the reality of the social, political and economic needs of the 21st Century. This paper, therefore, sets out to argue for a development of right attitudes towards English; for the English language has come to stay as a communicative tool for social, political and economic development