Peki tsame: The mortal remains of Reverend Professor Gilbert Kwame Ansre, a distinguished Ghanaian theologian, linguist, and Church leader, have been interred at his hometown of Peki Tsame. He passed away on February 27, 2026, at the age of 96.
According to Ghana News Agency, the burial service for Rev. Prof. Ansre took place at the Trinity United Church, Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon, Accra. Born on February 1, 1930, he began his early education at the Evangelical Presbyterian Church schools in Amedzofe, Peki, and Worawora. He later attended the Presbyterian Boys Secondary School at Odumase Krobo, completing his studies there in 1949.
Rev. Prof. Ansre pursued further education at the Presbyterian Training College at Akropong and trained as a Catechist at the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana (EPCG) Seminary at Peki. He studied theology, Latin, and Greek at the Gold Coast University College, now the University of Ghana (UG), and graduated in 1952 with a Bachelor of Divinity (Honours) degree from the University of London.
Between 1959 and 1961, he pursued a Master's degree in linguistics at the Hartford Seminary Foundation in the USA and later completed his PhD in Linguistics at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Rev. Prof. Ansre was an eminent scholar of the Ewe language and African Linguistics, beginning his career as a teacher at Mawuli School and continuing as a teaching fellow at the Hartford Seminary Foundation.
He served as a Research Fellow and Associate Professor in Linguistics at UG from 1961 to 1971 and held a visiting lecturer position at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, between 1964 and 1966. Rev. Prof. Ansre played a crucial role in establishing the Language Centre and the Department of Linguistics at UG and served as Director of the Language Centre before becoming Hall Master of Akuafo Hall from 1976 to 1979. He was ordained as a Minister of the Gospel by the EPCG on March 4, 1962.
After retiring from the University in 1980, Rev. Prof. Ansre dedicated himself to Bible translation, serving as a Consultant for the Bible Society of Ghana. He significantly contributed to language development and National Education Policy in Ghana, chairing the Ga and Akan Orthographies and Ewe Language Committee for the Bureau of Ghana Languages. Additionally, he served as External Examiner and Thesis Assessor for Ghanaian universities and was a member of the Ghana Constitutional Review Commission in 1978.
Rev. Prof. Ansre was President of the West African Linguistics Society from 1990 to 1996 and was honored with several awards, notably the Order of the Volta in 2024 by President Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo. In her tribute, his widow, Mrs. Cecilia Ansre, expressed how he profoundly influenced her life. His children remembered him as a man of faith and integrity, teaching them valuable life lessons.
The EPCG praised Rev. Prof. Ansre's dedication to Bible translation and his emphasis on mother tongue, acknowledging his contribution to guiding many in their faith journeys. He leaves behind his wife, five children, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.