 2025 aimed to promote and preserve African languages and advance language and digital rights.){kind=link}
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EVENT RECAP
African Languages in the Digital Age
T
he 2025 edition of the African Languages Conference (AFLC) — a flagship event dedicated to the promotion and preservation of African languages, as well as the advancement of language and digital rights — was held February 21 through 28, 2025, under the theme “Harnessing African Languages for Digital Transformation and Social Justice.” This annual gathering continues to play a crucial role in shaping policies and discussions on language access and inclusion in Africa.
A Historic Edition: AFLC’s Growth and Impact
Founded in 2022, AFLC has become a global platform for language advocacy, research, and policy discussions and is held annually during African Languages Week, an initiative by African Academy of Languages (ACALAN), African Union. Over the years, AFLC has gathered over 2,000 attendees and 100 speakers and held sessions in more than 20 African languages, reinforcing its commitment to language diversity and accessibility.
In 2024, AFLC officially became a nonprofit organization, further solidifying its mission to promote African languages, language rights, and digital inclusion. The 2025 conference marked a historic milestone with an on-site event at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Nigeria, expanding AFLC’s global reach through a hybrid format.
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Like previous AFLC editions, this year’s conference was also recognized as an event under the UNESCO Secretariat for the International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022–2032. This partnership underscores AFLC’s commitment to preserving language diversity, fostering intercultural dialogue, and driving actionable change for indigenous languages worldwide.
Each edition strengthens AFLC’s role in advancing African languages in the digital age, ensuring their preservation, accessibility, and integration into modern technology and education.
African Languages and Digital Rights
The directors of AFLC 2025, Ady Namaran Coulibaly, Avishta Seeras, and Emmanuel Clifford Gyetuah, emphasized the urgent need to bridge the digital gap for African languages. Despite technological advancements, most African languages remain categorized as “low-resource languages,” meaning they lack sufficient digital content, tools, and representation online. The conference served as a platform for experts, linguists, and activists to strategize on reversing this trend and ensuring that African languages thrive in the digital space.
The 2025 conference featured 38 sessions over 7 days, including four keynote addresses, totaling 36 hours of discussions with contributions from language professionals, advocates, researchers, scholars, linguists, and technology experts. African languages spoken during the sessions included Yoruba, Twi, Hausa, Ikwere, Obolo, Igala, Igbo, Tyap, Fulfulde/Pulaar, isiXhosa, Kóló, Anaañ, Hyam, and South African Sign Language. Discussions focused on language accessibility, digital rights, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven African language processing, translation, and localization. Several sessions also highlighted solutions for expanding African languages in tech-driven industries and ensuring their sustainability in the digital era.
Bridging Africa and the World
This hybrid event featured an in-person gathering on February 21 at UNIPORT in partnership with its Department of Linguistics and Language Arts. The entire conference was also live-streamed on Zoom, ensuring global accessibility and inclusivity. The Local Organizing Committee at UNIPORT, led by Dr. Ebitare Obikudo, played a pivotal role in the success of the on-site event. The group’s dedication and seamless coordination ensured a memorable and impactful experience for all attendees.
Moderated by Obikudo and Dr. Jones Ayuwo, both from UNIPORT, the on-site event welcomed over 300 attendees, including representatives from universities across Nigeria. The Vice Chancellor of UNIPORT, Professor Owunari Georgewill, delivered an inspiring address on the critical role of African languages in preserving cultural heritage and ensuring language diversity for future generations.
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Thought Leaders Shape the Future
AFLC 2025 featured four keynote addresses, delivered by experts in linguistics, technology, and digital inclusion:
- UNIPORT Keynote Address by Professor Roseline Alerechi: “Indigenizing the Digital Space in Promoting African Languages for Social Justice”
- ACALAN Keynote Address by Dr. Lang Fafa Dampha: “African Languages as a Factor of Social Transformation and Justice”
- VIP Keynote Panel Discussion, sponsored by SILICON at Stanford University: “Digital Inclusion in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities,” featuring Simon Charwey, Diyi Yang, Mingfei Lau, and Emre Varol
- Bolingo Consult Keynote Panel Discussion: “Leveraging Language Skills for a Professional Career,” featuring Emmanuel Clifford Gyetuah, Ady Namaran Coulibaly, Mary Nanafi Mawuena, and Abdikadir Hassan
These keynote addresses sparked discussions on how African languages can be integrated into digital spaces, leveraged for professional opportunities, and preserved for future generations.
AFLC continues to set a new standard for multilingual conferences, as well as setting a new global standard for multilingual engagement, proving that African languages must be at the heart of international discourse and decision-making.
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