Deadline Date: June 15, 2026
The LINGUA Africa Open Call for Inclusive AI Language Projects, led by Microsoft AI for Good Lab in collaboration with the Gates Foundation, the Masakhane African Languages Hub, and Google.org, aims to strengthen African language representation in AI systems to enable more inclusive digital access across essential services.
The focus areas, objectives, priorities, and themes of this initiative include data creation, curation, documentation, translation, validation and licensing of African language datasets; development of models, benchmarks, tools, and technical infrastructure for underrepresented languages; and deployment of real-world sectoral applications that demonstrate measurable social and economic impact. The program also emphasizes community engagement, cross-institutional collaboration, open licensing of resources, and impact pathways in sectors such as education, healthcare, agriculture, financial inclusion, and civic and government services.
This open call responds to the persistent underrepresentation of thousands of African languages in modern AI systems, which limits equitable access to digital services such as education, healthcare information, financial tools, and public services. By strengthening foundational language resources, the initiative seeks to ensure that African languages are meaningfully integrated into AI development rather than excluded from technological advancement.
The program invites proposals from nonprofits, universities, research institutes, social enterprises, cultural organizations, startups, and consortia working in the public interest. Applications are also encouraged from international organizations, provided they demonstrate meaningful partnerships with Africa-based institutions or communities.
Selected projects may receive funding support, cloud compute credits through Azure and Google Cloud Platform, and technical collaboration from Microsoft AI for Good Lab, along with broader ecosystem support to advance inclusive AI development. Funding levels vary by category, ranging from up to USD 50,000 for data creation projects, up to USD 100,000 for model and tool development, and up to USD 250,000 for sectoral application projects, alongside corresponding compute credit support.
Proposals are expected to clearly define their target communities, demonstrate how beneficiaries will be impacted, and outline how outputs will be shared as openly licensed resources to support reuse in research and applied AI systems. Strong emphasis is placed on collaboration, sustainability, and practical implementation pathways that ensure long-term benefit for speakers of underrepresented African languages.
For more information, visit Microsoft.
