Tanzania, Italian firm partner to develop Swahili AI model

Dar es Salaam. The Information and Communication Technologies Commission (ICTC) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with an Italian company to develop a Swahili version of artificial intelligence (AI) for use in Tanzania’s public sector.

Almawave’s generative AI model, Velvet, will serve as an open-source platform, while ICTC will contribute local data to train the model, ensuring it meets Tanzania’s socio-cultural and linguistic needs.

The collaboration aims to enhance digitisation efforts by incorporating Swahili, improving administrative processes and citizen interactions, according to the statement released by the ICTC.

The Almawave chief executive officer, Ms Valeria Sandei, highlighted the importance of the partnership, emphasising the potential impact of AI on government.

“The introduction of Velvet in Swahili, developed in close cooperation with local institutions, underscores how generative AI can drive digitization, enhance public services, and contribute to socio-economic development,” she said.

Almawave has previously worked on projects within Tanzania’s judicial system, helping to digitise criminal and civil cases through AI-powered voice technologies, available in both Swahili and English, under the “Citizen-centric Justice in Tanzania” initiative.

The Italian company was chosen to automate transcriptions and translations of court sessions in Tanzania, in Swahili and English. The framework agreement has a total duration of four years.

The director general of ICTC, Dr Nkundwe Mwasaga, expressed optimism about the collaboration, noting that the Swahili version of Velvet would be a crucial asset to Tanzania’s public sector.

“This partnership will support the development of Kiswahili Large Language Models (LLMs) that will serve Tanzania’s public sector effectively,” he said.

Dr Mwasaga also outlined the various areas of collaboration, which include capacity building, data gathering, and sharing experiences on developing LLMs.

He highlighted the importance of creating a quality Kiswahili dataset to train the model and noted that both Almawave and ICTC would dedicate financial and human resources to the project’s success.

He said the introduction of Velvet in Swahili holds significant potential beyond Tanzania, as Swahili is spoken by over 70 million people across 12 African countries.

During the 2024 Tanzania Annual ICT Conference, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa emphasised the critical role of technology in achieving socio-economic growth, particularly through AI and robotics.

“The rapid global developments in AI and robotics call for our collective efforts to adapt without compromising the country’s core values,” he stated.

The government has implemented essential ICT frameworks, including policies and laws, to support digital transformation.

The regulations are aimed at ensuring institutions develop systems that align with national goals.

The PM announced the government’s five-year strategic plan for ICT development, which stretches to 2029/30, and highlighted progress in the national space program, including a satellite launch project.