Evidence-based analysis of the forces shaping African AI
What evidence shapes our understanding of AI in Africa?
Too often, the narratives that influence how Africa is perceived are produced from a distance — based on surface-level statistics or fragmented views of the ecosystem.
Evidence on African AI, from Africa, by Africa.
The Lanfrica Insights team aims to improve public awareness and understanding of AI in Africa. We do this through analysis and evidence-based insights that examine the forces shaping the AI ecosystem on the continent. Through this work, we investigate emerging trends, identify gaps and bottlenecks, and develop scientifically grounded analyses that help make the state of AI in Africa more visible, understandable, and actionable.
By doing the laborious work of actually downloading and investigating these datasets, speaking with creators and stakeholders, and examining the ecosystem from the ground, Lanfrica Insights contributes a different kind of perspective — one that offers a fuller, more grounded picture.
These insights are released freely and publicly to support researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and the broader community — while contributing to a more accurate and grounded understanding of AI in Africa.
Our latest insight
Understanding the African Next Voices Datasets
The first holistic, evidence-driven analysis of the largest African speech-dataset effort in history — African Next Voices: 7 countries, 24 languages, 18,000+ hours.
March 6, 2026 · 19 min read