Nigeria launched N-ATLAS, a multilingual AI model unveiled at UNGA80 to preserve local languages and drive African-led innovation in artificial intelligence.
NEW YORK — Nigeria has taken a major step into artificial intelligence leadership with the launch of the Nigerian Atlas for Languages & AI at Scale (N-ATLAS) on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly.
The open-source facility, unveiled by the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, is designed to map and preserve Nigeria’s vast linguistic diversity using AI.
The first version, N-ATLAS v1, is a multilingual large language model supporting Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, and Nigerian-accented English.
Built on Meta’s Llama-3 8B architecture and fine-tuned with over 400 million tokens of data, it represents Nigeria’s most ambitious attempt yet to embed African languages in digital innovation.
“This is the first step in a broader journey to make Africa a contributor and leader in shaping AI’s future,” Tijani said.
Developed by Awarri Technologies in partnership with NITDA and NCAIR, N-ATLAS aims to make apps, chatbots, and government services accessible in local languages, bridging the gap for millions excluded by English-dominated platforms.
The initiative also aligns with wider African efforts, including projects in South Africa and Ethiopia, reflecting a continental shift toward AI systems rooted in local realities and identities.