FG launches N-ATLAS, Africa-focused AI model for local languages

The Federal Government has introduced N-ATLAS, an open-source artificial intelligence model designed to support major Nigerian languages and Nigerian-accented English.

Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday via his official X handle.

The minister said the unveiling of the multilingual and multimodal model took place on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

According to Tijani, N-ATLAS is a strategic step towards ensuring African voices and diversity are placed at the centre of global AI development.

He said: “Starting with Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and Nigerian-accented English, N-ATLAS places Africa’s voices and diversity at the foundation of AI. This is the first step in a broader journey to make Africa a contributor and leader in shaping AI’s future.”

Developed by the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) in partnership with Awarri Technologies, the model features a speech-technology suite with automatic speech recognition (ASR) for transcription, accessibility and local-language applications.

The AI can power chatbots for citizen engagement in Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and Nigerian-accented English. It also provides real-time transcription of radio, TV and online content, generates subtitles, and supports call-centre and voice-assistant systems tailored for Nigerian users.

In addition, the system can summarise interviews conducted in local languages, enhancing inclusivity and digital access.

The model’s documentation has been made available on Hugging Face, a global platform for AI research and open-source model deployment.

Tijani stressed that the launch was part of Nigeria’s ongoing language-AI initiative, which aims to strengthen the country’s position in the emerging digital economy while safeguarding local cultural identity.