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From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Federal Government, in collaboration with its partners, has launched ATLAS Umoja, a pan-African Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform aimed at accelerating the development of large language models that understand African languages, cultures and indigenous knowledge systems.
The platform, unveiled on Thursday at the opening of the seventh Ordinary Session of the Conference of Plenipotentiaries of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) in Abuja, marks the expansion of Nigeria’s N-ATLAS project into a continental initiative.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Mr. Bosun Tijani, said the initiative was designed to address the glaring underrepresentation of African languages in modern artificial intelligence systems.
According to him, fewer than two per cent of African languages are meaningfully supported by existing AI models, despite Africa being home to nearly one-third of the world’s languages.
“Artificial intelligence represents one of the greatest opportunities for Africa’s transformation. Yet today, fewer than two per cent of Africa’s languages are meaningfully supported by modern AI systems, despite our continent being home to nearly one-third of the world’s languages,” Tijani said.
He recalled that Nigeria launched N-ATLAS, Africa’s first government-backed open-source large language model, at the United Nations General Assembly in 2025 as part of the country’s long-term artificial intelligence strategy.
The minister said the government, working with partners across the continent, has now transformed the Nigerian initiative into the ATLAS Network, also known as ATLAS Umoja.
According to Tijani, the platform will bring together governments, universities, researchers, innovators and technology companies to build locally relevant large language models capable of supporting African languages and reflecting the continent’s cultures and knowledge systems.
He noted that the initiative would ensure African languages and indigenous knowledge are represented in AI systems that will increasingly shape education, healthcare, public services, communication and economic activities.
The minister also acknowledged the support of the GSMA in advancing the project and urged all member states of the African Telecommunications Union to join the platform.
“Today, I am pleased to announce that, together with partners across Africa, we are taking the next step by expanding this initiative into a continental framework, the ATLAS Network.
“Our ambition is for the ATLAS Network to become a platform that accelerates the development of locally relevant large language models in Africa, by Africa and for Africa.
“This is our opportunity not simply to adopt artificial intelligence, but to help shape its future, for Africa and from Africa,” he said.
Tijani stressed that Africa must strengthen regional collaboration and invest in trusted digital infrastructure, connectivity, innovation and digital skills to secure a leading position in the global digital economy.
Addressing journalists on the sidelines of the conference, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Awarri, Silas Adekunle, explained that the initiative originated from Nigeria’s N-ATLAS project, with ATLAS standing for African Tongues and Languages at Scale, while “Umoja,” a Swahili word, means unity.
He said the success of the Nigerian model demonstrated that African technology companies could build AI infrastructure capable of supporting developers and addressing local challenges.
According to him, N-ATLAS has attracted about 5,000 developers since its launch, enabling them to build AI-powered applications using locally developed models instead of relying entirely on foreign platforms.
He warned that dependence on externally developed AI systems not only exposes African data to external jurisdictions but also allows economic value generated by innovation to leave the continent.
Adekunle added that the platform seeks to build an African AI ecosystem tailored to the continent’s more than 2,000 languages, noting that only about two per cent currently receive meaningful support from mainstream AI models.
He described the launch as a strong signal that African governments, technology firms and startups were prepared to collaborate in developing advanced technologies rather than remain dependent on systems created elsewhere.
“The unique thing about ATLAS Umoja is that it is being built with African languages. We have more than 2,000 languages in Africa, and right now only about two per cent of them receive reasonable responses from these models,” he said.
Also speaking, Senior Director of Public Policy and Communications at GSMA Africa, Caroline Mbugua, said the initiative would enable Africa to move beyond being merely a consumer of artificial intelligence to becoming an active contributor to its development.
“Africa needs to ensure that we are not just consuming AI, but that we are shaping how AI is evolving and developing, while ensuring that we are able to participate with our uniqueness,” she said.
Mbugua disclosed that ATLAS Umoja is an open platform developed through a partnership involving GSMA, Awarri, Zindi, Power AI and other ecosystem organisations.
She said Nigeria, Kenya, Namibia and Togo had already signed on as founding members of the initiative, with each country expected to contribute expertise and resources to build a truly pan-African AI ecosystem.
“The founding members are Nigeria, Kenya, Namibia and Togo, making sure that different countries are able to bring together their resources and build a pan-African platform,” she said.
She called on more African countries to join the initiative, stressing that wider participation would be critical to ensuring the platform serves the entire continent.
Mbugua further noted that supporting African languages in AI would improve digital inclusion by enabling millions of people to access digital services in languages they understand.
