East African Experts Call For Ai Tools To Boost Kiswahili Development

The story

The East African Kiswahili Commission (EAKC) has called for urgent investment in artificial intelligence tools and digital language systems to ensure Kiswahili keeps pace with global technological change and remains central to regional integration.

The appeal came ahead of the 5th World Kiswahili Language Day celebrations and the 3rd EAKC International Conference, which opened in Bujumbura, Burundi on Sunday and runs until July 7.

Details

The conference has brought together delegates from East African Community (EAC) member states, alongside academics, technology experts, policymakers and development partners, under the theme: “Kiswahili, Multilingualism, and Artificial Intelligence (AI).”

EAKC Executive Secretary Dr. Caroline Asiimwe said Kiswahili, spoken by more than 250 million people globally, is increasingly being recognised as both a cultural and economic asset for Africa.

“Kiswahili continues to be one of the fastest-growing global languages,” Asiimwe said during a pre-conference briefing on July 4. “It is not only a tool for communication but a strategic resource for peacebuilding, social integration and diplomatic engagement.”

She said multilingualism in Africa should be viewed as an enabler of economic activity rather than a barrier, highlighting its importance in trade, tourism, investment and cross-border cooperation within the East African region.

The Commission noted that the rise of artificial intelligence presents both opportunity and risk, as African languages remain underrepresented in global digital systems, including machine learning models and large language datasets.

“As we position Kiswahili within the evolving artificial intelligence ecosystem, we recognise both opportunity and urgency. We must ensure Kiswahili does not merely adapt to the digital revolution but actively shapes it,” Asiimwe said.

How other sources reported it

Watchdog Uganda also reported on the story, highlighting that for decades, we have been told to stay in our lanes. in this piece, i do exactly that as a climate change scholar. there is broad agreement among global experts that climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. yet one aspect of this crisis d…

Independent Uganda also reported on the story, highlighting that kampala, uganda | urn | fred rwakaizi bangumya and stella kiryowa have been elected the national resistance movement (nrm) flag bearers for uganda’s two vacant seats in the east african legislative assembly (eala) after defeating 34 other candidates in the pa…

Why it matters

This is a public-interest story for Uganda because it touches institutions, communities, policy decisions, or services that affect daily life. Mods99 News will continue updating the article if more verified details become available.

References