The Dangme Section of the Bureau of Ghana Languages was first a Section with Ga. It therefore used to be Ga-Dangme Section with a Sectional Head. This Section was split at a point in time. We therefore have the following as Heads of the Section at various periods.
Successive Sectional Heads
| S/N | Head of Section | Period |
| 1 | Mr. E. N. Tetteh | |
| 2 | Mr. J. N. Nanor | |
| 3 | Mr. Victor Asante | |
| 4 | Mr. T. T. Terkpetey | - 2011 |
| 5 | Miss Veronica K. Boatey (Ag.) | 2011- 2012 |
| 6 | Mr. Enoch A. Adibuer | 2012 - Date |
Current Staff
| S/N | Staff of Dangme section | Period |
| 1 | Enoch Adinortey Adibuer (Language Expert) | 2012 - Date |
| 2 | Prosper Onumah (Typist) | 2020 – Date |
| 3 | Angela Agyeiwaa Manu (Typist) | 2020 – Date |
| 4 | Anne-Marie Adomah (Typist) | 2020 - Date |
Per the mandate of the Bureau of Ghana Languages, the Dangme Section (like other Sections) writes and publishes books in Dangme, does translation works from English into Dangme and vice versa, researches into the cultural practices of the Dangmes, assesses and edits manuscripts in the Dangme language, offers private tutorials to Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians, certifies Dangme books written by individuals and also does transcriptions.
Some of Our Services
The Bureau of Ghana Languages translated the following materials from English Language into various Ghanaian Languages including Dangme.
1. National Policy on Public Private Partnership (PPP)
2. Pipeline Projects (PPP)
3. 2018 Citizen’s Budget
4. 2017 Citizen’s Budget
5. The Ghana National Anthem
6. The Ghana National Pledge
7. Domestic Violence Bill
8. National Reconciliation Act
9. Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy
10. Universal Declaration on Human Rights
11. Fisheries Regulation, 2010
12. Children’s Act, 560
13. Legal Terminologies
Many private works were also done for various institutions in Ghana, abroad and individuals.
We have sixty-seven (67) publications to our credit. When you buy any of our books, you will see the titles of some other books published by BGL in Dangme.
The Dangmes are believed to be part of the Israelites who travelled from Egypt to Canaan. It is said that they strayed when they were in transit and found themselves in Nigeria. Because they were being forced to worship Allah and pray as the Moslems did, which they were not comfortable with, they journeyed on to Benin, and then to Togo and finally had to cross the Volta River to Tagologo (now called Natreku – between Akuse junction and Akuse). From there again they moved, under their tribe heads, to the various places (dialectal areas) we find them now.
Dangme is known as a Kwa Language - a branch of the Niger-Congo family of languages. It is the language of the people of Ada, Yilo and Manya Klo, S1, Osudoku, Kpone (Kpomi), Gbugblaa (Prampram) and Nugo. They occupy about 70% of the Greater Accra Region and 15% of the Eastern Region of Ghana mainly.
The earliest attempts at literary production in Dangme, for obvious reasons, made use of the orthography that was developed to write the Ga School Primers in the latter part of the 19th century and to produce the Ga translation of the Bible. No further effective efforts were made to produce anything else in print, in Dangme, apart from the Book of the Prophet Jonah by the Missionaries and a very short, two-stanza, hymn (No. 343) in the Presbyterian Ga Hymn Book by K. Reindorf in 1867.
There were, of course, feeble endeavours as well as appreciable efforts by several individuals which never went beyond the manuscript stage. From the latter part of the 20th century onwards, a considerable number of manuscripts were produced in Dangme. Some of these were published.
For example, Enoch Azu’s ‘Dangme Historical Songs’ (Klama) and ‘Dangme
Proverbs’, D. A. Puplampu’s ‘Dangme Munyu Tubɔ’, ‘Mɔmɔyo’, ‘An Dangme Script’, ‘A Grammar of Dangme’, T. N. N. Accam’s ‘Klama Songs and Chants’, ‘Adangme Vocabularies’ and others can be cited.
In the late 40’s D. A. Puplampu came out with a suggestion for a Dangme Orthography which included the use of ‘c’, ‘j’ and ‘ng’ in place of the Ga ‘t’, ‘dz’ and ‘n’ characters. Later when the United Bible Translation Committee decided to publish the Bible in Dangme and the Government at the time approved the teaching of Dangme in schools on Dangme land, the question arose as to whether Ga and Dangme must both use the same Orthography.
At this point in time (1968), the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana - Legon was invited to advise on Ga and Dangme Orthographies. It was then decided after a careful examination that the two Orthographies were different and that for practical reasons, a compromise should be struck between the two. It was conclusive that Dangme Orthography would drop the ‘c’ and ‘dz’ but retain the ‘j’, ‘ts’ and ‘ng’ while Ga retained ‘n’ and dropped ‘ts’. The only difference in the two Orthographies would then be the use of ‘ng’ by Dangme and ‘n’ for Ga. After the final decision on Orthographies, representatives of the Institute of African Studies (University of Ghana - Legon), the Bureau of Ghana Languages and the Dangme Bible Translation Committee met in 1969 and decided on the set of rules of spelling.
Owing to the dialectal differences that emerged in published books and a few shortcomings in the existing rules of spelling (after the above), a Dangme Standardization Committee was constituted by the Bureau of Ghana Languages in 1974. The Committee was to revise the existing Orthography, evolve a Standard Written Dangme and compile a basic Dangme word list. Dr. Apronti’s ‘The Writing of Dangme’ was in essence the basis and source material.
It must be noted that the supreme objective of the committee was to prepare the way for Dangme writings that would be intelligible to any native Dangme speaker - no matter the dialectal region the person may come from (Manya Klo, Yilo Klo, Sɛ, Osudoku, Kpomi, Gbugblaa, Nugo and Adaa).
a b d e ɛ f g gb h i j k kp l m n ng ngm ny o ɛ p s t ts u v w y z
(Note that ‘r’ and ‘sh’ are sometimes used in words foreign to Dangme.)
Dangme has two types of Consonants.
1. Single Consonants: b d f g h j k l m n p s t v w y z
2. Consonant Clusters: gb kp ng ngm ny ts
Dangme also has nasalized and non-nasalized vowels.
1. Non-nasalized Vowels: a e ɛ i o ɔ u
2.Nasalized Vowels: a ɛ i ɔ u
(From “Dangme Ngmami Bɔ” – The Writing of Dangme)
On record, we had 60 Dangme Publications as at 1994 (Bureau at a lance).
Dangmes are found in the Eastern Region (Yilo Krobo Municipality, Upper Manya, Lower Manya, part of Asuogyamang, part of East Akim and part of New Juaben), Greater Accra Region (Dangme East and West - Southeastern coast and inland) and in the Volta Region (part of North Tongu and Avatime) in Ghana. Their numerical strength is as follows.
According to the 2010 Population Census (Ghana Statistical Service, October 2014), we have the following:
| Location | Population | Economic Activity | Tourism |
| Ada East | 71,671 | Trading, Farming & | Forts, Estuary, |
| Ada West | 59, 124 | Fishing | Holiday Chalets & |
| Ningo Prampram | 70, 923 | Beaches | |
| Kpone Katamanso | 109, 864 | ||
| Shai Osudoku | 51,913 | Game Reserve | |
| Yilo Krobo | 87,847 | Small Scale | Boti falls, Ancestral |
| Lower Manya | 87,246 | Industrial Activities | HomesonMt. |
| Upper Manya | 72,092 | & Farming | Yogaga (Caves, etc) |
| TOTAL | 610,680 |
(Note that we also have some Dangmes at the following places: Asuogyaman, New Juaben, Fanteakwa, Kwahu Afram Plains, Agotime - in the Volta Region - and other parts of Ghana.)
The 1990 Population Census also states we have 1,250,000 Ga-Adangmes and 300,000 Gas.
This means we had 950,000 Dangmes then.
Niwomi and Dipo (Rites of Passage)
Colours/ Dresses: Wearing of cloth and Kaba with their associated footwears.
Red/Black for funerals. White for victorious celebrations. Blue/Yellow loved by the youth.
The journey To Tagologo and current division:
How each Dangme festival is celebrated:
How funerals of different people are performed (chiefs/queens, youth, children/babies, aged, accidents, mad/sick):
Staple dishes:
Entertainments (Drumming and dancing, storytelling, puzzles):
Marriage Rites:
Enstoolment:
Specific vocations:
Religion:
The Krobo people are part of the Ga-Dangme ethnolinguistic group who the largest group of the seven Dangme ethnic groups of Southeastern Ghana. They are mainly farmers. They occupy the Accra, Akuapim Mountains and the Aram Basins. They also produce most of the nation’s beads which they also use in dressing particularly when it comes to performing certain traditional rites.
The Krobo People: Ghana’s Famous Beads Producing Tribe and Their Unique Dipo Initiation Rite PDF