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People group profile · PG013038

The Ashanti of Côte d’Ivoire

The Ashanti of Côte d’Ivoire, numbering about 449,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic subgroup of the Akan, one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa, indigenous to the present-day countries of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.

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

Pray for the AshantiPrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Ashanti people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Ashanti

Fast facts

Country
Cote d’Ivoire
Population
449,000
Affinity group
Sub-Saharan African Peoples
People cluster
Guinean
Primary language
Akan (aka)
Primary religion
Protestantism
Strategic Progress Index ?
Engaged yet Unreached
Evangelical
Less than 2%
GSEC ?
Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
Lostness priority ?
Pioneer Unreached People Group
Region
Western Africa, Africa

Where they live

Gospel status

The Ashanti are Engaged yet Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, but there are sustained efforts to establish self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. In GSEC terms, this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.

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

Next steps for the Ashanti

  • Continue prayer and fasting for this group
  • Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
  • Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Primary religion

Protestantism · Christianity

Primary language

Akan · Atlantic-Congo family

100% speak Akan

Gospel resources in Akan

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

Films

Bibles

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

Pray for the Ashanti

  1. 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
  2. Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.
  3. Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.
  4. Matthew 9:37–38. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.

Download a prayer guide

Ashanti in other countries

The same people is also reported in 5 other countries.

People groupCountryPopulationStatus
AshantiGhana5,545,000No Longer Unreached
AshantiTogo95,500Engaged yet Unreached
AshantiLiberia63,500No Longer Unreached
AshantiUnited Kingdom28,000Unengaged and Unreached
AkanCanada27,000No Longer Unreached

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