Nigeria has taken the lead in a continent-wide effort to build artificial intelligence that understands African languages, with the Federal Government launching the ATLAS Network to help countries work together on AI models that reflect local cultures and knowledge.
The initiative was unveiled on Thursday in Abuja during the 7th Ordinary Session of the African Telecommunications Union Conference of Plenipotentiaries, as African leaders seek a stronger role in shaping the future of digital technology.
The initiative puts Nigeria at the centre of Africa’s effort to close the gap between global AI systems and the continent’s rich linguistic diversity.
While artificial intelligence is becoming part of daily life through search engines, translation tools, chatbots and other digital services, only a very small number of African languages are supported.
The new network aims to help African countries build shared language datasets and AI models that better serve millions of people who use local languages.
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, said fewer than two per cent of Africa’s languages are meaningfully supported by modern AI systems, even though the continent is home to nearly one-third of the world’s languages.
He said the ATLAS Network builds on Nigeria’s N-ATLAS programme and will bring together governments, universities, researchers, innovators and other partners to develop AI systems that better reflect African languages, cultures and knowledge.
Tijani invited African countries to join the initiative and work together to strengthen the continent’s AI capacity rather than working in isolation.
He also urged African nations to strengthen regional cooperation and prepare together for global discussions on digital technology.
“Africa must arrive prepared, united and credible. We must continue to invest in technical preparation, strengthen regional cooperation and speak with one voice where our interests align.
“Where global digital rules are being shaped, Africa must be ready to participate and help shape outcomes that affect our people, our economies and our future.”
Representing Vice President Kashim Shettima, Deputy Chief of Staff Ibrahim Hadejia said Africa must play a bigger role in shaping international technology policies instead of allowing decisions to be made without the continent’s priorities.
He said Nigeria will continue to support the work of both the African Telecommunications Union and the International Telecommunication Union to ensure Africa has a stronger voice in global digital governance.
Delegates from several African countries are attending the conference, where they will elect new leaders for the African Telecommunications Union and adopt policies that will guide telecommunications and the digital economy over the next four years.
African Telecommunications Union Secretary-General John Omo said the Union depends on the commitment of its member countries and strong partnerships to achieve its mission.
Nigeria began laying the foundation for this effort in 2025 when Tijani unveiled the Nigerian Atlas for Languages and AI at Scale (N-ATLAS) during the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York. The open-source platform was created to digitise Nigeria’s many languages and build datasets that support AI tools designed for local needs.
The launch of the ATLAS Network now extends that effort beyond Nigeria, placing the country at the forefront of Africa’s drive to build artificial intelligence that better understands the languages spoken by millions of people across the continent.