Preserving African Languages with AI and Blockchain: A Focus on Nigeria’s Efforts
Lucky Uwakwe, chairman of the Blockchain Industry Coordinating Committee of Nigeria (BICCoN), is on a mission to save endangered African languages using artificial intelligence (AI). In a recent interview with Cointelegraph, Uwakwe stressed the importance of preserving languages that are at risk of extinction due to various socio-economic factors.
Uwakwe pointed to the example of languages in Plateau State, Nigeria, where insecurity has led to the displacement of communities, causing their languages to scatter and decline. To combat this issue, Uwakwe believes that leveraging AI and blockchain technologies is crucial in ensuring no language is lost or becomes extinct.
One of the challenges Uwakwe highlighted is the lack of language support provided by global tech giants like Google, which only offers translation for a few Nigerian languages. This gap in language support is not unique to Nigeria but is a broader challenge across many African languages.
To address this issue, Uwakwe advocates for integrating blockchain with AI to incentivize communities to speak and document their native languages, earning tokens in the process. These data sets can then be used to train AI models to understand and support these languages, ensuring their survival and inclusion in future technological developments.
Uwakwe’s dedication to this cause is further demonstrated by his recent appointment as the LingoAI community ambassador for Nigeria and Africa. As CEO of Sabi Group, Uwakwe has been a strong advocate for blockchain and Web3 solutions across the continent.
This initiative aligns with other efforts in Nigeria to harness blockchain and AI technologies for societal improvement. Olanipekun Olukoyede, the chairman of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, recently highlighted the potential of blockchain and AI in addressing illicit financial flows in Africa.
As Uwakwe and other Nigerian officials continue to champion the use of innovative technologies for social good, the preservation and restoration of endangered languages through AI and blockchain could pave the way for a more inclusive and diverse technological landscape in Africa.
