A continent-wide collaboration has been formed to strengthen Africa’s AI ecosystem by developing inclusive African AI language models.

The initiative comprises the GSMA, Airtel, the African Population for Health Research Center, Awarri, Axian Telecom, Cassava Technologies, Ethio Telecom, Masakhane African Languages Hub, Lelapa AI, MTN, Orange, Pawa AI, Qhala, the World Sandbox Alliance and Vodacom.

The world’s leading large language models, or LLMs, are built around a handful of global languages, limiting access and relevance for billions of people whose linguistic and cultural diversity remains underrepresented online.

GSMA’s 'AI for Africa' report series shows that, in Africa alone, more than 2 000 languages are spoken, yet only a fraction are supported in digital systems or AI models.

This lack of inclusion risks widening existing digital and economic divides.

“Africa’s diversity of languages and cultures is one of our greatest strengths, yet it has too often been overlooked in the development of global AI systems,” said GSMA head of Africa Angela Wamola.

“This initiative is about turning that challenge into an opportunity – building African-led AI capacity, empowering innovation across local industries and ensuring Africa shapes the digital future on its own terms.”

By developing AI language models trained on African languages and local data, the initiative aims to empower businesses, governments and communities to create AI applications and innovative use cases tailored to African realities, from customer service and education to healthcare, creative industries and public service delivery.

“By working together, we can make AI more inclusive, more relevant, and more reflective of the world we live in,” she said.

Under the shared ambition “AI Language Models in Africa, By Africa, For Africa”, the initiative aims to close the region’s language gap in AI, as well as crowd in resources and expertise to address gaps in data, compute, talent and policy, ensuring African languages, cultures and knowledge are fully represented in the global digital future.

Data, compute, talent and policy were identified as four crucial opportunities in a feasibility study, led by the GSMA and its regional members, which had confirmed that African-led language models are both technically feasible and economically viable.

The study stressed that success requires collective leadership, investment and collaboration, not fragmented efforts.

The GSMA recognises existing efforts that have made great strides in addressing AI adoption in Africa, however, foundational challenges remain and it is calling on ecosystem partners to join collectively to align efforts and further accelerate AI adoption in Africa.

The continent-wide collaboration will foster cocreation and mobilise leading operators, governments, researchers, technology providers, investors and development partners to mind these gaps and accelerate development.

The collaboration will establish dedicated working groups to drive measurable progress across data, compute, talent and policy.

Partners have committed to regularly showcasing outcomes and sharing learnings at upcoming GSMA events, ensuring accountability and sustained momentum toward Africa’s inclusive AI future.

Ecosystem partners, including startups, academia, creative industries, civil society, donors and global technology players, are invited to join and contribute to this shared ambition.

This collective effort will drive innovation and empower local industries, strengthening digital sovereignty and accelerating the scaling of AI across the continent.