• Benin launched the “JaimeMaLangue” project to integrate local languages into artificial intelligence systems.

• The project uses nationwide crowdsourced voice data to train AI models starting with Fongbé.

• UNESCO warns that only 1,000 of the world’s 7,000 languages appear online, underscoring the urgency of the initiative.

Benin continued its digital innovation strategy by promoting an artificial intelligence ecosystem capable of understanding and valorizing local languages, a move designed to make the digital transition more inclusive and culturally grounded.

The government launched the “JaimeMaLangue” initiative on 10 November to introduce local languages into artificial intelligence. The Information Systems and Digital Agency (ASIN) and the IIDiA Institute jointly lead the project as part of a broader ambition to embed linguistic and cultural inclusion into the country’s digital transformation.

The launch ceremony, held under the theme “Benin Speaks to the Future”, brought together stakeholders from the digital, cultural and research sectors.
 The government said in its official statement that the event marked “the starting point of a national mobilisation for voice collection.”

The project relies on crowdsourced voice data. Authorities invite citizens to read sentences in their languages on the platform jaimemalangue.bj.
 Linguists and engineers will validate the recordings and use them to train AI models capable of understanding and reproducing Beninese languages.

The pilot phase begins with Fongbé, with plans to expand to other major national languages.

Officials say the initiative aims to “make every citizen an actor in Benin’s digital future.” The project rests on three pillars — inclusion, innovation and heritage — to strengthen the presence of national languages in digital technologies, stimulate the development of local educational and cultural applications, and preserve the country’s linguistic diversity.

The initiative builds on earlier work, including the Beninese Languages Dictionary launched in July 2025, according to the Benin Broadcasting and Television Corporation (SRTB). The government aims to develop a digital economy rooted in local cultural realities while remaining open to innovation.

The project arrives as UNESCO reports that only 1,000 of more than 7,000 world languages are represented online, highlighting the need for initiatives that preserve linguistic diversity in digital ecosystems.

This article was initially published in French by Félicien Houindo Lokossou

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum