The Dagaari of Burkina Faso

The Dagaari of Burkina Faso, numbering approximately 644,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Mole-Dagbani offshoot who migrated into the Sahel by the 14th century and further south by the 17th, known across the Ghana-Burkina Faso-Cote d'Ivoire border zone for the sacred gyil xylophone tradition passed from father to son through initiation. They mostly adhere to Animism and Northern Dagara is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Dagaari

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Burkina Faso
People Cluster: Gur
Primary Language(s): Northern Dagara (dgi)
Primary Religion(s): Animism
Population: 644,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG012388
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Dagaari of Burkina Faso

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Animism
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

40%
%
Animism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Northern Dagara
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Dagara, Northern Speakers

Media Resources in Northern Dagara:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Northern Dagara:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
2004 Bible Society of Burkina Faso✓✓✓
2017 Edition✓✓

2 entries

Or check out the Northern Dagara bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Dagaari are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Next steps for the Dagaari:
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

Pray specifically for the Dagaari of Burkina Faso

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
readRomans 1:18

Pray that God will have mercy and open the eyes of those who don't know Jesus, so that they can turn to the One who is able to save them from their sins.

And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.
readActs 13:48-49

Pray that the gospel will spread throughout this whole region and that many will believe and embrace the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
readPsalm 133:1

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be unified and love one another as God loves them.

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
readEphesians 1:13-14

Pray that God will work through believers near and far in bringing the lost to Himself, giving them what they need to do the task He has set before them, and helping them rest in Him because He has given them His Spirit.

Dagara, Northern Across Countries (ROP3 - 102365) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

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