Nigeria launches ATLAS Network for African AI languages

Nigeria has launched the ATLAS Network to develop African Large Language Models, addressing the fact that fewer than 2% of African languages are currently supported by global AI systems.

At an International Telecommunication Union conference in Abuja, Minister of Communications Dr Bosun Tijani announced the launch of the ATLAS Network, a continental initiative to develop African Large Language Models. With fewer than 2% of African languages currently supported by global AI, the project brings together researchers and tech ecosystems to preserve indigenous knowledge systems within emerging AI technologies.

The initiative is a recognition that Africa cannot afford to be a passive consumer of AI technologies developed elsewhere. The ATLAS Network aims to create AI models that reflect Africa’s linguistic and cultural diversity, ensuring that the continent’s languages and knowledge systems are represented in the global AI landscape.

This echoes the 2010s push for digital inclusion in Africa, which also recognised that the continent must develop its own technology solutions. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: a recognition that Africa must shape its own digital future.

The winners: African researchers and tech ecosystems, who gain a platform for developing AI; and the African continent, which gains linguistic representation in AI. The losers: global tech companies that may face competition from African-developed AI models; and the Nigerian government, which must fund and sustain the initiative.

Bottom Line: Nigeria is leading the development of African AI languages. The goal is to preserve indigenous knowledge. The question is whether the initiative will scale or remain a niche project.