Grace Ashiru
Africa, covering 20% of Earth’s land area and home to over 2,000 languages, stands as the second most linguistically diverse continent. Yet, despite this rich diversity, the continent often lags behind in the global race to preserve, integrate, or promote its languages within modern services. Only a few global companies have taken steps to address this gap.
As AI technology continues to gain traction, the importance of African languages cannot be overlooked. Recognising this, French telecommunications giant Orange SA is reportedly collaborating with tech leaders Meta and OpenAI to develop language models tailored for African languages.
According to Reuters, the initiative is set to begin in early 2025, focusing on two West African languages, Wolof and Pulaar. The goal is to incorporate these languages into OpenAI’s “Whisper” and Meta’s “Llama” software, potentially breaking language barriers for up to 22 million speakers in the region.
Orange will extend the availability of this initiative to other sectors, including public health and public education, for non-commercial purposes. With an agreement in place granting the telecoms group direct access to OpenAI’s models in Europe, the project is anticipated to progress efficiently and effectively, given OpenAI’s position as the leading AI company today.
With African countries like Egypt and Nigeria boasting some of Facebook’s largest audiences, with 46.2 million and 38.6 million users respectively, according to Statista, deeper penetration into these markets could prove highly beneficial for Meta.
As more major tech companies shift their focus to emerging markets—such as Nvidia engaging in discussions with Indian companies—Africa stands out as the next vast, untapped reservoir of potential.
Language, however, has always been a challenging barrier to overcome. The numerous variations, rules, and exceptions in many languages often leave even native speakers grappling. This is why new product launches involving language typically roll out in just one or a few widely spoken languages, without delving deeply into regional dialects.
Yet, with the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence and its ability to address complex challenges, the potential for innovation in this area is enormous. It will be fascinating to see how this project unfolds, especially as more people eagerly await the opportunity to hold meaningful, one-on-one conversations with their devices in their native tongue. My mother, for instance, could truly benefit from such a development.
