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People group profile · PG012953

The Bakwele of the Republic of the Congo

The Bakwele of the Republic of the Congo, numbering about 16,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a Central African tribal group of eastern Gabon, Republic of the Congo, and Cameroon.

They are an indigenous people in the Bantu, Central-Congo people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Protestantism, and they primarily speak Bekwel.

Pray for the BakwelePrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Bakwele people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2025). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Bakwele

Fast facts

Country
Congo
Population
16,000
Affinity group
Sub-Saharan African Peoples
People cluster
Bantu, Central-Congo
Primary language
Bekwel (bkw)
Primary religion
Protestantism
Strategic Progress Index ?
No Longer Unreached
Evangelical
2% or Greater but Less than 5%
GSEC ?
2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
Lostness priority ?
Marginally Reached People Group
Region
Middle Africa, Africa

Where they live

Gospel status

The Bakwele are No Longer Unreached, which means 2% or more are evangelical Christians. In GSEC terms, this people group is greater than or equal to 2% evangelical.

  • Congregations exist Yes
  • Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted

Next steps for the Bakwele

  • Pray for the churches among this group to grow in faithfulness and maturity
  • Equip believers to reach the unreached peoples around them
  • Send out laborers from this people to the nations

Primary religion

Protestantism · Christianity

Primary language

Bekwel · Atlantic-Congo family

100% speak Bekwel

Gospel resources in Bekwel

  • Bible available, published 2014
  • JESUS Film available
  • Radio programs not available
  • Gospel recordings available
  • Audio resources available
  • Bible stories not available

Films

Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.

Pray for the Bakwele

  1. John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
  2. Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.
  3. Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.
  4. Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.

Download a prayer guide

Bakwele in other countries

The same people is also reported in 2 other countries.

People groupCountryPopulationStatus
BakweleCameroon43,500No Longer Unreached
BakweleGabon5,900No Longer Unreached

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