Africa is home to more than 2,000 languages, yet only about 42 have any meaningful support in today’s large language models.
A 2025 review found that across widely used systems, just three scripts — Latin, Arabic, and Ge’ez — are broadly covered, and an estimated 88% of African languages are classified as severely underrepresented or completely ignored in computational linguistics.
For the digital advisory tools now reaching farmers, patients, and small business owners, that gap is the difference between technology that works and technology that doesn’t.
$250,000 for African Language AI Projects
LINGUA Africa funds projects that build the open data, models, and applications African languages need to participate in modern AI. The program goal is reaching one billion Africans with locally relevant AI tools by 2029.
Three grant categories are open:
- Data creation: building, curating, translating, or licensing language datasets. Up to $50,000 in cash and $50,000 in compute credits.
- Model or tool development: creating or adapting models, benchmarks, and infrastructure for African languages. Up to $100,000 in cash and $100,000 in compute credits.
- Sectoral applications: piloting language technologies in real-world settings with a credible path to measurable impact. Up to $250,000 in cash and $400,000 in compute credits.
Priority sectors include agriculture and food security, education, healthcare and public health, financial inclusion, and government and civic services. All supported projects must contribute openly licensed resources.
Who Can Apply
Eligible applicants include nonprofits, universities, research institutes, social enterprises, cultural organizations, startups, and consortia working in the public interest. Organizations based outside Africa can apply if they show meaningful partnership with Africa-based institutions or communities.
Beyond cash, selected projects receive Azure and Google Cloud Platform credits and in-kind technical collaboration from Microsoft AI for Good Lab.
Apply Now: Deadline is June 15, 2026
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