Bosun Tijani Launches ATLAS Network to Accelerate Africa’s AI Language Models

The Federal Government on Thursday officially launched the ATLAS Network, a continental artificial intelligence initiative aimed at accelerating the development of locally relevant large language models across Africa.

The Federal Government on Thursday officially launched the ATLAS Network, a continental artificial intelligence initiative aimed at accelerating the development of locally relevant large language models across Africa.

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, unveiled the initiative at the opening session of the 7th Ordinary Session of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) Conference of Plenipotentiaries (CPL-26) in Abuja.

Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima graced the event as the Special Guest of Honour.

What they are saying

Addressing the audience at the event attended by Nairametrics, Tijani said the initiative, building on Nigeria’s pioneering N-ATLAS programme, will bring together governments, researchers, academia, innovators, and ecosystem partners to ensure that Africa’s languages, cultures, and knowledge systems are reflected in the AI technologies shaping the continent’s future.

According to the minister, fewer than 2% of Africa’s languages are meaningfully supported by modern AI systems, despite the continent being home to nearly one-third of the world’s languages.

He highlighted that, together with partners across Africa, the ATLAS Network represents the next step by expanding the initiative into a continental framework.

He invited member states to join the initiative as a collaborative platform for advancing African AI capabilities.

He also urged delegates to strengthen their partnerships and shared resolve to ensure Africa continues to play a leading role in shaping the future of telecommunications and the digital economy.

He said:

• “Africa must arrive prepared, united and credible. We must continue to invest in technical preparation, strengthen regional cooperation and speak with one voice where our interests align.
• “Where global digital rules are being shaped, Africa must be ready to participate and help shape outcomes that affect our people, our economies and our future.”

Representing Vice President Shettima, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, said that for too long, global technology policies have been developed without adequate representation of African priorities and perspectives.

He called for a change, adding that Nigeria is proud of its contributions within both the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

He said the country will play its role in ensuring that Africa actively shapes decisions that define the future of digital technologies.

More insights

On his part, the Secretary-General of the African Telecommunications Union, John Omo, described the conference as a pivotal moment for the continent’s digital future.

The official, however, added that the Union’s work rests on the commitment of its member states to place the ATU on a firmer and more sustainable footing.

• “The Union recognises the important role of partnerships in the achievement of its mission,” he said.

Nairametrics reports that delegates from across Africa are attending the conference and are expected to elect the Union’s leadership for the next four-year cycle while adopting key policy and governance decisions that will shape Africa’s telecommunications and digital economy agenda.

What you should know

In 2025, Tijani announced the launch of the Nigerian Atlas for Languages & AI at Scale (N-ATLAS), describing it as proof that Africa is not just catching up in artificial intelligence (AI), but is actively shaping its future.

He made the remarks at the unveiling of the open-source model on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 80) in New York.

N-ATLAS is a multilingual, multimodal, open-source large language model (LLM) designed to map and digitise Nigeria’s rich linguistic heritage while building datasets to power inclusive AI solutions.