Malawi is developing Chichewa-language AI models to help citizens benefit from artificial intelligence (AI) and expand access to digital services in local languages.
The initiative, known as the Malawi Low Resource Language Data Trust Initiative, is focused on developing core AI frameworks and assembling licensed Chichewa-language content to expand the training data available for AI applications.
The project is being undertaken with support from the World Bank and the Gates Foundation.
Many African languages remain underrepresented in global AI training datasets, limiting the effectiveness of AI tools for local users and creating barriers to wider adoption.
Feston Kaupa, minister of defence for Malawi, said at the Malawi National Language Data Trust workshop in Lilongwe that countries should invest in AI to strengthen innovation and competitiveness.
Kaupa was speaking on behalf of Shadric Namalomba, Malawi's minister of information and communications technology, at the event on Tuesday.
"Countries that strategically adopt AI will be better positioned to drive innovation, strengthen productivity and compete in the global economy," Kaupa said.
Chichewa, also known as Nyanja or Chewa, is Malawi's national language and is also widely spoken in Zambia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
The language is spoken by approximately 70 percent of Malawi's population.
The Chichewa AI project is building datasets from government archives and media content, creating systems that will allow citizens to interact with AI applications in their local language through text or voice.
The strategy prioritises AI applications that support rural agricultural resilience, including voice and text chatbots for small-scale farmers, healthcare task-shifting and improved financial inclusion.
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