Microsoft has introduced Project Gecko in Nairobi, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at addressing one of artificial intelligence’s most significant challenges—the lack of support for African languages. The project is designed to make AI more accessible to Kenyans by developing models that understand and generate local languages, including Swahili, Kikuyu, and Dholuo.
Unlike traditional AI systems that are primarily trained on data from widely spoken global languages, Project Gecko utilizes smaller, modular “small language models” (SLMs). These models are specifically built to perform well in environments with limited data and unreliable connectivity, powering digital assistants that are tailored to East Africa’s unique linguistic and cultural context.
Microsoft’s statement emphasizes the need for a new approach: “Gecko seeks to reverse this dynamic—building AI systems from the ground up, shaped by the knowledge, languages, and modalities of the global majority. Achieving population-scale impact requires a fundamental rethinking of how AI is localized, evaluated, and deployed.”
Project Gecko is part of Microsoft’s broader effort to expand AI access across the “global majority”—regions that remain underrepresented in existing models. By creating tools that work in local languages, the initiative aims to close the language gap and drive AI adoption across Africa.
