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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Nafana Senufo of Côte d’Ivoire

The Nafana Senufo of Côte d’Ivoire, numbering approximately 121,000 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are a sub-group of the Senufo, a West African ethnic group of Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana and can also be known as Nafana. They are an Diaspora people, in the Gur people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Islam - Folk. They primarily speak Nafaanra.

Nafana Senufo in Ghana photo
Photo courtesy of Joshua Project. Photo Source: Copyrighted ©️ 2025 GoWestAfrica Used with permission

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-saharan Africa Peoples
Country: Côte d’Ivoire
People Cluster: Gur
Primary Language(s): Nafaanra (nfr)
Primary Religion(s): Islam - Folk
Population: 121,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Unengaged and Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Active CP Activity
People Group ID: PG013114

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Pray for the Nafana Senufo of Côte d’Ivoire

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Islam - Folk
Religious Affiliation: Islam

%
Islam - Folk Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Nafaanra
Language Family: Niger-Congo

%
Nafaanra Speakers

Media Resources in Nafaanra:

Films:

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Nafaanra:

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Nafaanra bible resources at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

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Next steps for the Nafana Senufo

The Nafana Senufo are Unengaged and Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations among which there are no known efforts focused on establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Begin signifcant prayer and fasting for this group
Send cross-cultural teams to discover and research this people group
Begin gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Next steps for the Nafana Senufo

The Nafana Senufo 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.

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

Next steps for the Nafana Senufo

The Nafana Senufo are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Nafana Senufo of Côte d’Ivoire

And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
readMatthew 6:7-8

Pray that those who don't have a relationship with their Creator will come to know a God who hears their every need, freeing them from empty rituals and drawing them into a real, trusting relationship with Him.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
readMatthew 6:10

Pray that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven, and that people will seek His kingdom and righteousness above all else, trusting in His provision.

But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated.
readHebrews 10:32-33

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will remember the day of their salvation and persevere in their faith despite hardships and suffering.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
readPsalm 51:2

Pray that God will raise up believers to go and share the gospel with those in this people group who need to be washed of their iniquity and cleansed from their sins.

Senufo, Nafana (ROP3 - 100951) reported in the following countries:

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

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Definitions page.

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