Nigeria is turning to artificial intelligence (AI) not just for economic growth, but to protect one of its most fragile assets, its indigenous languages.
“We’re not just chasing AI for technology’s sake,” said Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation, and digital Economy, speaking at GITEX Nigeria, currently being held in Abuja. “This is about identity, usability, and ensuring Nigerians can interact with AI on their own terms.”
Unveiling progress on a multilingual large language model (LLM), he said it could serve as both a cultural preservation tool and a foundation for local innovation.
Unlike most AI systems dominated by English, Nigeria’s model is being trained to understand and generate five major local languages such as Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Tiv, alongside accented English.
Tijani said the project is being led by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) through its AI and Robotics Centre, in partnership with Lagos-based startup Awarri and global nonprofit DataDotOrg.
He added that this forms part of Nigeria’s developing National AI Strategy, which includes ecosystem building, education, and responsible frameworks.
Tijani highlighted that, a cornerstone of the effort is the integration of Nigeria’s Three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme.
“Over 7 000 fellows will work directly on the model, providing both a skilled workforce and an educational pipeline,” he noted. “Lagos Business School and civil society partners are also involved through the AI Collective, designed to foster collaboration across academia, industry, and government.”
The move is currently supported by $3.5 million from partners including UNDP, UNESCO, Meta, Google, and Microsoft, but Tijani admits reliance on donors is unsustainable. “We need government commitment if this is going to succeed long-term,” he said.
If successful, Nigeria’s experiment could ripple across Africa, offering a blueprint for other countries seeking to embed their cultural and linguistic realities into AI systems.
Beyond preservation, the initiative promises practical benefits: local-language AI could support learning in rural schools, improve healthcare communication, and expand digital access for small businesses.
As Tijani said: “AI isn’t just about machines, it’s about making technology speak our language.”
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