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The Arabic Section of the Department of Modern Languages, School of Languages, College of Humanities, in collaboration with the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Accra, has marked World Arabic Language Day. The Day, celebrated worldwide every 18th December since 2012, aims to project the Arabic language and its essential role in impacting knowledge through science and culture. In his welcome address, Prof. Daniel Frimpong Ofori, the Provost of the College of Humanities, highlighted the importance of the Arabic language when he narrated how the United Nations General Assembly on December 18th, 1973, adopted it as the sixth official language of the organization. Additionally, he intimated that the Arabic language is one of the most widely spoken languages globally, adding that, it is used daily by over 400 million people worldwide. This global reach has influenced the University of Ghana’s long-standing tradition and history of teaching the Arabic language as a course at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
The Provost, Prof. Daniel Frimpong Ofori delivering the welcome address.
Speaking on the theme “The Role of Arabic Language in the Spread of Culture, Science and Knowledge”, the Ambassador of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Accra, H.E Meshal H. Al-Rogi, emphasized the significant role of the Arabic Language in impacting knowledge in society. He therefore reiterated his country’s efforts in promoting the study of the Arabic language in schools. He indicated that the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has since its formation supported the spread of the Arabic language through the granting of scholarships to enable individual applicants to study in Saudi Universities. He also added that the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has recently increased its scholarship quota to Ghana to 159 scholarships annually. More importantly, H.E Meshal H. Al-Rogi concluded that the acquisition of the Arabic language by Ghanaians could serve as a catalyst that will strengthen the relationship between Ghana and all the twenty-two countries that have Arabic as their official language and also provide job opportunities to the teaming youth in Ghana.
Ambassador of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, H.E Meshal H. Al-Rogi, during the event.
Sharing his experience in the study of the Arabic language, Dr. Mohammed Mouaz Abdul Rahman, a lecturer in the Arabic Section of the Department of Modern Languages who read Arabic from the Undergraduate to the PhD level, expressed how his love for the language made him pursue it for the entirety of his academic journey. This he added, has presented him with numerous opportunities.
Dr. Mohammed Mouaz Abdul Rahman, Lecturer, Arabic section, Department of Modern Languages
In her solidarity message, the Dean of the School of Languages, Prof. Helen Atawube Yitah, expressed her excitement about the event and hoped that more of such programs would be organized to help promote the Arabic language. She further expressed her office’s readiness to assist with the forward march of the Arabic Section of the Department of Modern Languages.
Dean, School of Languages, Prof. Helen A. Yitah in a handshake with the Ambassador of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, H.E Meshal H. Al-Rogi, at the event.
Similarly, the Head of the Department of Modern Languages, Prof. IIdiko Csajbok-Twerefou, in her remarks, thanked the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Ghana and the Embassy for marking World Arabic Language Day at the University of Ghana and appealed for their support in forming an Arabic Language Department in the School. She further announced that a committee had been set up to work on an outline for PhD courses to be run in the Arabic language at the University of Ghana.
Head, Department of Modern Languages, Prof. IIdiko Csajbok-Twerefou seated with some dignitaries at the event.
Present at the event were the Ambassador of Sudan, H.E. Mohammad Abdurrahman, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt, H.E. Mr. Aldesouky Mahmoud, and the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Ghana, H.E Abdal Fatah Ahmed Khalil Alsatari. Other dignitaries present included the Charge D’Affaires of the State of Libya, Mr. Bilal Elmaraghini, Charge D’Affaires of the State of Qatar and the Charge D’Affaires of Burkina Faso, members of faculty and students from the Arabic Section of the Department of Modern Languages and the media. The World Arabic Language Day was celebrated at the French Conference Room of the Modern Languages Annex on December 18th, 2022.