The State of African Language Datasets
Motivation Our digital world is a rich tapestry of ideas, languages, cultures, and knowledge. However, our access to and understanding of these resources is skewed; some gain significant visibility, while others remain under-represented, and obscure (even when available on the web). Our understanding is largely defined by what’s findable. In today’s fast-paced digital age, online […]
Lanfrica V2 – What’s Cooking Under the Hood
For the past 9 months, we have been hard at work on revamping Lanfrica. As we wrap up, we wanted to share a sneak peek on some things to expect. Changes coming to the Lanfrica frontend We have some exciting things coming to the frontend: A cleaner discovery interface: our previous records platform, with the […]
How Open Source is Powering the Future of African NLP
Open source isn’t just about free software; it’s a movement built on sharing, openness, and collaboration. Across Africa, people are coming together to build language technology that includes everyone. In African Natural Language Processing (NLP), open-source projects are the driving force behind this movement. They’ve already helped bring over 2,000 local languages online. This work […]
Will AI Make Farming in Africa More Sustainable or More Complex?
Agriculture has always been a vital part of Africa’s economy, supporting the livelihoods of millions of people. However, the sector is facing tough challenges due to climate change, limited resources, and problems with food security. This is where artificial intelligence (AI) comes in—a promising technology that could significantly change farming across the continent. AI can […]
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in 2024: Transforming Lives & Industries In Africa.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) isn’t just a trendy buzzword anymore; it’s starting to really change our world in some big ways. In Africa, a continent full of diversity and potential, AI is making waves in areas like farming, healthcare, governance, and economic growth. But just like any new tech, there are both benefits and challenges to […]
AI and NLP Driving the Future of Healthcare Innovation in Africa
Africa’s healthcare is entering a transformative era powered by AI and Natural Language Processing (NLP). These technologies are reshaping medical care, from diagnosis and research to patient management, with applications that are tailored to the continent’s unique needs.
From Consumers to Builders – Lanfrica’s Data Unconference Recap
On October 29, 2024, Lanfrica hosted The Lanfrica Data Unconference, a fully‑virtual gathering on Zoom designed to re‑imagine who gets to shape language technology for African and other under‑represented languages. Motivation “You don’t have to be a computer scientist to influence the technology that affects your language.” In today’s digital world, indigenous and minority languages are at […]
Why Linguistic Collaboration Is Important In Advancing NLP Tools in Africa
Understanding a language and how its native speakers speak it requires more than just knowing the words and their meanings. It involves understanding the context, nuances, and cultural aspects that give the language its depth. When we want a machine to “speak” or “understand” a language, it needs to appreciate the elements of phonology, morphology, […]
Empowering African Voices in AI – Lanfrica’s DLI 2024 Workshop Recap
On 6 September 2024, during the week‑long Deep Learning Indaba in Dakar, Senegal (1–7 Sept), Lanfrica co‑organised the full‑day workshop titled “Empowering African Voices in AI: Data, Models & Innovation”. The session took place at Amadou Mahtar Mbow University and formed part of the official DLI workshop track. Why this workshop mattered Although AI is transforming sectors worldwide, its benefits remain unevenly distributed; under‑resourced communities often lack […]
ActuIA Magazine Highlights Lanfrica’s Pioneering Efforts to Tackle Key Issues in AI for Africa
In the tenth issue of ActuIA magazine, founder Chris Emezue discusses Lanfrica and our data-centric and community-driven efforts to improve AI in low-resource African contexts and enable AI-driven businesses to thrive in Africa. We are honored to have our work featured in such a prestigious publication. ActuIA is a French magazine for information and promotion […]
