The Bafanji of Cameroon

The Bafanji of Cameroon, numbering approximately 27,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Grassfields fondom of Cameroon's Ndop Plain descended from the Fielungwe Mamgie who absorbed the neighboring Toukung people, ruled by a hereditary fon under patrilineal Tikar-descended tradition since before German annexation in 1884. They mostly adhere to Folk Islam and Bafanji is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2025). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Bafanji

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Cameroon
People Cluster: Bantu, Cameroon-Bamileke
Primary Language(s): Bafanji (bfj)
Primary Religion(s): Folk Islam
Population: 27,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG012484
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Bafanji of Cameroon

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Folk Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

—
%
Folk Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Bafanji
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Chufie’ Speakers

Media Resources in Bafanji:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Bafanji:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Bafanji bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Bafanji 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 Bafanji:
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 Bafanji of Cameroon

I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.
readIsaiah 42:8

Pray that lost people will turn from worthless idols to worship the one true God, recognizing that He alone is worthy of all glory and praise.

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
readLamentations 3:23-23

Pray that they will have hope in the Lord, knowing that His compassions never fails and that His mercies are new every morning.

This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
readEphesians 5:32-33

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will grasp the profound mystery of Christ's love for the Church, reflecting this love in their marriages.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
readJohn 3:16

Pray that God will send and sustain believers to cross cultures and share the gospel with the lost. Ask that He will give them His heart for the lost and that many will believe in Him and not perish but have eternal life.

Bafanji Across Countries (ROP3 - 100729) 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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