Government has embarked on a digital revolution to develop Chichewa Artificial Intelligence (AI) models, with authorities saying the move will help citizens unlock new opportunities for innovation, inclusion and economic growth.
Minister of Information and Communications, Shadric Namalomba has made the remarks saying Malawi is investing in the sector after noting that countries that have strategically adopted AI are in the forefront in innovation and productivity.
He further stressed the need for local language inclusion in technology saying the move could significantly improve the uptake of AI related products among the locals.
“We must ensure that our local languages are part of the AI future so that no citizen is excluded from the benefits of technology,” Namalomba said.
He said currently, Malawi is leading the world in demonstrating the model by developing core frameworks and assembling licensed Chichewa language content.
“This work is being done through the Malawi Low Resource Language Data Trust Initiative, an initiative being supported by the World Bank and the Gates Foundation,” said Namalomba .
The minister noted that languages like Chichewa have long been underrepresented in global AI training, a move government aims to change by creating licensed datasets that developers can use to build relevant tools.
“The Chichewa AI model, once completed, will support key sectors including, education, health, agriculture and business, where language barriers have limited access to digital services,” he added.
Lilongwe-based agricultural expert, Tapiwa Kaulimbo has hailed the move saying investing in AI will help local farmers deal with challenges that are currently rocking the agricultural sector.
“We have issues like climate change which I believe the coming in of AI could help our farmers understand them properly,” said Kaulimbo.
