Masakhane, Africa’s Language-Focused Hub, Aims to Integrate African Languages into AI

By Linet Amuli - Reporter

Kenya, January 14, 2026 - The Masakhane African Languages Hub has launched a groundbreaking project aimed at tackling the lack of African language representation in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. The initiative invites African researchers, technologists, startups, linguists, and community organizations to develop high-quality, inclusive datasets for 50 African languages, paving the way for innovative AI tools that reflect the continent’s linguistic diversity.

Africa is home to over 2,000 languages, yet none of the top 34 languages used on the internet globally are African. This digital gap means that over a billion Africans are at risk of being excluded from emerging AI technologies and their benefits. It also raises concerns over bias, accuracy, and equitable access in AI-powered solutions.

Supported by global partners including Google.org, the FCDO, IDRC, and the Gates Foundation, the Masakhane Hub aims to ensure AI systems are trained on culturally relevant, ethically sourced, and accurate data. By doing so, the initiative seeks to create African-led solutions for AI tools such as translation software, speech recognition platforms, and educational applications.

The project has identified three main areas for development:

Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR): Building large-scale voice datasets for 18 African languages with an emphasis on gender balance and authentic context.
Benchmarking “In the Wild”: Testing AI models in real-world African settings to ensure practical effectiveness.
Culturally Relevant Multimodal Datasets: Developing high-quality image, text, and speech datasets for 40 African languages to support next-generation AI applications.

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Successful applicants will gain funding, technical support, and a platform to grow sustainable AI projects, positioning Africa at the forefront of technological innovation while driving inclusive, community-centered solutions.

Chenai Chair, Director of the Masakhane African Languages Hub, emphasized the broader impact of the project: “This initiative is more than building AI models; it is about ensuring that technology reflects Africa’s rich linguistic and cultural heritage. By centering women, rural communities, and marginalized groups, we are shaping a digital future that is equitable and locally relevant.”

With a target of empowering one billion Africans by 2029 through locally designed AI tools, the Hub’s initiative highlights the potential of African-led innovation to transform technology, drive economic growth, and preserve the continent’s linguistic diversity.