Agona Nkwanta (W/R), Sept. 29, GNA - Mr. Paul Evans Adioo, the Western Regional Minister, has said the government would use functional literacy to develop talents in the hinterlands for national development. "It is government's aim to educate people in the villages through non-formal education to make them eligible for formal education and employment to better the lives of our people," he said. Mr. Aidoo said this in a speech read for him at the launch of the Ahanta New Testament Bible at Agona Nkwanta on Sunday. The translation was facilitated by the Ghana Institute of Linguistics Literacy and Bible Translation (GILLBT) in collaboration with the Ahanta Language Project Committee.

He said the translation, which started in 1994, was met with several challenges which included problems of identifying people who could assist them to translate exactly in meaning to the Ahanta language and alphabets.

He said the translation of the Bible into Ahanta would not only generate interest for learning the language but would also inculcate into the people the habit of living holistically with each other. He said government could only develop the country if Ghanaians rallied behind it and therefore urged them to support the government in developing the nation.

Mr. Joseph J. Amoah, the Ahanta West District Chief Executive, appealed to GILLBT to organise classes to teach the people how to read and write in Ahanta.

Mr. Amoah suggested to the Ahanta West District Education Directorate to introduce the teaching and learning of Ahanta into their curriculum to promote the learning and speaking of the language. Mr. Michael Awumbila, Acting Director of GILLBT, said over half a million learners had passed through their functional literacy programme in 34 languages across the country, with some continuing with formal education and contributing immensely to the development of their communities and Ghana as a whole.

He said the New Testament had been translated into 24 local languages whilst the complete bible has been translated into four languages.

Mr Awumbila said GILLBT was working on 11 Old Testament and four New Testament projects and will be launched soon.