Vice-Chancellor of the College of Ghana, Professor Nana Abba Appiah Amfo, has known as for the deliberate inclusion of African languages into synthetic intelligence (AI) programs, warning that the continent’s voices and information programs threat being marginalized within the world AI revolution if they continue to be underrepresented.
Talking on the fifth Warwick Particular Africa Lecture held on the College of Warwick within the UK on Thursday, June 11, 2026, Professor Appiah Anfo argued that Africa’s linguistic variety needs to be seen as a helpful useful resource slightly than a barrier to technological progress.
I’ll give a lecture entitled “Whose languages matter? African voices, information programs, and the way forward for AI.” She stated that for AI to serve humanity equitably, the way forward for AI should replicate the languages, cultures, and information programs of all peoples.
“If we do not embed African languages within the design of synthetic intelligence, the programs we’re constructing to serve the world will solely work in a single a part of the world,” she stated.
Professor Appiah Amfo identified that though there are greater than 2,000 residing languages spoken by greater than 1.4 billion individuals in Africa, a latest UNESCO report states that African languages are an “AI blind spot” as they continue to be considerably underrepresented in datasets used to coach large-scale language fashions.
He careworn that the problem extends past linguistic expression and touches on points of data, visibility and fairness.
“When a language will not be current in a digital corpus, it isn’t only a query of translation. It is a query of visibility, it is a query of data, and finally it is a query of justice,” she stated.
She says AI programs educated primarily in English and different broadly spoken languages threat reinforcing Western views whereas ignoring African philosophical traditions, indigenous information programs, and cultural nuances.
For example this problem, Professor Appiah Amfo cited the event of a voice assistant, Nana Abba AI, constructed by college students on the College of Ghana to offer verified info to employees and college students.
She stated the system was capable of successfully reproduce her voice in English, however struggled with Ghanaian names, locations and native expressions.
“The system was capable of reproduce ‘I’ in English with appreciable success. The second the system encountered a Ghanaian identify, place, or phrase, the voice I used to be listening to not gave the impression of me. My very own identify not gave the impression of mine,” she stated.
She added that the builders then requested her to report her voice in a studio in order that the system may higher study Ghanaian pronunciation and language.
“AI does not wrestle with African languages as a result of they’re too advanced. African languages wrestle as a result of we do not know them but,” she stated.
The Deputy Prime Minister known as on policymakers, researchers and know-how builders to interact Africa not simply as a client of AI applied sciences, however as a contributor to the values, assumptions and information programs embedded in them.
This speak got here shortly after the launch of Ghana’s Nationwide AI Technique. The Nationwide AI Technique is a 10-year framework backed by a $250 million authorities dedication geared toward positioning Ghana as a pacesetter in Africa’s AI ecosystem. The technique contains plans to determine a world-class AI computing heart and strengthen pure language processing capabilities in Ghanaian languages.
Professor Appiah Amfo additionally revealed that the College of Ghana, which lately adopted its personal AI coverage, shall be introducing obligatory digital literacy and utilized AI programs for all college students from subsequent educational 12 months.
Professor Stuart Croft, Vice-Chancellor and President of the College of Warwick, praised Professor Appia Anfo’s contribution, saying it was a reminder of the significance of numerous views in shaping the way forward for analysis and innovation.
Professor Nana Abba Appiah Anfo is the second Ghanaian to ship the Warwick Particular Africa Lecture since its inception, following former College of Ghana Vice-Chancellor and Emeritus Professor Ernest Arrietty.
