Cotonou, June 24, 2025 – The Institute for Inclusive Digital Africa (IIDIA) and the Agency for Information Systems and Digital (ASIN) today launched the Regional Laboratory of Innovation and Digital Technologies in Cotonou, with a groundbreaking inaugural project: the development of the first voice-to-voice artificial intelligence model in the Fon language.
Conceived as a true turning point in terms of digital sovereignty, this innovation aims to remove a massive barrier to digital inclusion: the language barrier. In West Africa, where more than 1,000 languages coexist, digital services are mainly aimed at French or English speakers. The Fon language, spoken by millions of people in Benin and neighboring countries, has been largely overlooked by the digital revolution. Until now.
This AI voice model will finally allow millions of people, especially the elderly and those in rural areas, to interact vocally with technology in their native language without having to rely on writing or a foreign language.
“This project is a model for adapting AI to African linguistic diversity,” says Ambassador Makarimi Adechoubou, Chairman of the Board of IIDiA. “We are building more than a tool: we are building a pillar of the African digital public infrastructure, multilingual, inclusive, and anchored in the realities of the continent, in order to give a digital voice to millions of Africans in their own language.”
Three priority use cases are targeted:
– Finding pharmacies on duty;
– Checking Mobile Money balance (in partnership with Celtis);
– Accessing administrative procedures to obtain a birth certificate, through simplified voice interactions.
“It’s not just about technology, but about dignity,” emphasizes Marc André LOKO, CEO of ASIN. “The digital future of Africa cannot be built without its languages, voices, and realities. When a grandmother in a village can ask for her bank balance in her native language and get an instant response, that is true inclusion.”
A functional prototype will be ready in 9 months, based on community voice data collection and training using high-performance GPUs (NVIDIA A100/H100). This Fon AI project is just the first step of the Laboratory: the ambition is to expand this model to other African languages and to other strategic sectors such as smart agriculture, digital health, geolocated navigation, digitized public services, and education in local languages.
This regional laboratory, set up with the support of the Gates Foundation and led by the digital ministries of Benin, Senegal, and Côte d’Ivoire, serves as a lever for digital sovereignty for Africa. It drives the creation of digital public goods, in a logic of South-South cooperation, open innovation, and technological independence.
The Hub invites technological partners, academics, investors, and policymakers to join this mission. The next phase in Benin will extend the model to other local languages and prepare for its nationwide deployment.
Press contact: Nelsone HOUENHA, Press Relations Officer IIDiA nhouenha@iidia.org
Fadil MOUSSOUGAN Communication Officer (ASIN) fmoussougan@presidence.bj
About the partners
ASIN
Agency for Information Systems and Digital (ASIN)
ASIN is a unified government agency in the digital sector of Benin, aiming to strengthen synergy, visibility, and coherence in this field.
Mission: ASIN’s mission is to ensure the operational implementation of programs and projects within the framework of strategies for the development of secure information services and digital systems in Benin.
Role: ASIN coordinates and implements digital development initiatives in Benin, promoting a secure and coherent digital ecosystem.
Institute for Inclusive Digital Africa (IIDIA)
IIDiA is mandated to promote inclusive digital economies in Africa. The institution works to promote digital transformation in Africa by improving access to digital infrastructure and inclusive financial services for individuals, businesses, and governments.
Mission: Through strategic partnerships and innovative solutions, IIDiA works to reduce the digital divide and promote sustainable economic development.
Role: IIDiA acts as a catalyst for digital inclusion, leveraging partnerships and technology to empower communities and stimulate economic growth across the continent.
