The Ko of Benin

The Ko of Benin, numbering approximately 225,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an Indigenous Gbe-speaking people of southwestern Benin, especially the Mono region around Lokossa, Athiémè and Bopa, whose Kotafon language remains widely used across village life. They mostly adhere to Animism and Kotafon Gbe is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Benin
People Cluster: Guinean
Primary Language(s): Kotafon Gbe (kqk)
Primary Religion(s): Animism
Population: 225,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG012333
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Ko of Benin

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: Animism
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

93%
%
Animism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Kotafon Gbe
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

70%
%
Gbe, Kotafon Speakers

Media Resources in Kotafon Gbe:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Kotafon Gbe:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Kotafon Gbe bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Ko 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 Ko:
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 Ko of Benin

And he said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many."
readMark 14:23-24

Pray for those who may have heard the gospel but have not yet submitted their lives to Christ, that they will finally see the sacrifice which He made for them and surrender their lives to Him.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
read1 John 1:5

As mobile phones, radio, and satellite television, and other technologies become more available worldwide, pray for people who are developing digital gospel resources so that others can easily access the gospel.

And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!"
readMark 7:9

Pray that as men, women, boys, and girls place their faith in Christ, they will let go of any traditions that do not honor Him.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
readEphesians 6:11

Pray that those God sends to cross cultures will put on the full armor of God so that they will be able to stand against the schemes of the enemy.

Ko-Gbe Across Countries (ROP3 - 105083) 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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