by African AI talent has achieved a significant milestone by reducing the size of the continent’s first multilingual language model, InkubaLM, by 75%. This leap was accomplished without sacrificing performance, making artificial intelligence more accessible and practical for millions across Africa.
How African AI Talent Transformed InkubaLM
The breakthrough came during the Buzuzu-Mavi Challenge, a global AI competition hosted by Lelapa AI and Zindi. The challenge tasked machine learning experts with compressing InkubaLM, a model designed to support African languages. Out of 490 participants from 61 countries, African AI talent stood out, with all top winners hailing from the continent.
- Yvan Carré from Cameroon won first place by utilizing adapter heads, quantization, and knowledge distillation to reduce the model’s size.
- Stefan Strydom of South Africa took second, reducing the model to just 40 million parameters through vocabulary trimming and shared embeddings.
- The AI_Buzz team, comprising members from Niger and Nigeria, secured third place by blending datasets and employing model distillation to create an efficient student model.
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Why This Matters: AI for Africa, by Africans
This achievement is crucial for Africa, where only 33% of the population has regular internet access and 70% rely on entry-level smartphones. AI models, such as the new InkubaLM, can run on basic devices without requiring constant connectivity. This opens doors for AI-powered solutions in education, agriculture, translation, and customer service, directly addressing local needs.
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Pelonomi Moiloa, CEO of Lelapa AI, highlighted the importance of African AI talent:
“This challenge isn’t simply about technical progress, it reflects our mission to build AI that’s inclusive and grounded in African realities. When African talent is trusted with meaningful challenges, the results are transformative.”
Celina Lee, CEO of Zindi, added:
“We’re proud to show the world that more can be done with less. These solutions showcase what African innovators can achieve in the language model space.”
African AI Talent: Driving a Continental Revolution
African AI talent is not just shrinking models—it is powering a broader AI revolution across the continent. Africa is home to over 2,400 AI companies, with 40% founded in the last eight years. Startups in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Egypt are leveraging AI to drive innovation in fintech, healthcare, and agriculture.
Countries like South Africa and Nigeria are leaders in AI-powered fintech and healthcare diagnostics. Rwanda and Ghana are using AI for governance and digital transformation, while Morocco and Tunisia are scaling AI research and policy development.
AI adoption is accelerating thanks to supportive policies, a growing youth population, and targeted investments in education and infrastructure. Global tech giants and local governments are backing AI initiatives, ensuring that African AI talent continues to shape the continent’s digital future.
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The Road Ahead: Open Source and Collaboration
The most promising models from the Buzuzu-Mavi Challenge will guide future versions of InkubaLM, which remains open-source. Lelapa AI and Zindi are calling for ongoing collaboration to make African AI even smaller, more innovative, and more impactful.
African AI Talent: A Global Opportunity
African AI talent is now recognized as a vital resource, not just for Africa but for the world. With continued investment in education, research, and partnerships, Africa’s AI professionals are poised to lead in global innovation, offering solutions tailored to the continent’s unique needs and realities.
African AI talent is proving that with the proper support, the continent can move from being a passive adopter to an active creator at the center of the AI revolution.
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