At GITEX Nigeria 2025 in Abuja, Nigeria announced progress on a multilingual large language model (LLM) designed to process indigenous languages, aiming to position the country as a continental AI leader. This innovation tackles language barriers, enabling AI assistants to deliver real-time information, healthcare, and banking services via simple phone calls, even in areas with poor internet connectivity.
This LLM, backed by Nigeria’s tech innovators and NITDA’s digital push, is set to transform lives. In healthcare, it could power voice-based chatbots for remote diagnoses, reaching the 60% of Nigerians in rural areas with limited clinic access. In education, it’s a game-changer—students can learn in their native tongues, boosting literacy rates, which hover at 62% nationally. Financial inclusion? With 40% of Nigerians unbanked, AI-driven services in local languages could onboard millions, as seen with fintechs like OPay.
Dr. Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, said at GITEX, “Our languages are our strength; AI makes them global.” But challenges remain: training data for languages like Fulfulde is scarce, and scaling requires heavy investment. Yet, with Nigeria’s tech ecosystem—home to unicorns like Flutterwave, there’s momentum.
From Lagos to Maiduguri, this AI revolution is knitting Nigeria’s diversity into its digital future. How could AI in your language change your community? Share below!