Meta, in collaboration with national innovation agencies and ecosystem partners across Africa, has launched a Sub-Saharan Africa-wide initiative to accelerate the development of impactful, open source artificial intelligence (AI) solutions through its Llama large language model.
In a statement, the social media giant says the programme, running from May to November, includes in-country AI accelerator tracks in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Senegal.
Designed to support start-ups in creating scalable, socially-relevant AI tools, the firm notes the initiative aims to deepen adoption of open source AI and catalyse solutions aligned with regional development priorities, such as agriculture, healthcare, safety and security, financial inclusion, education and public service delivery.
Meta adds the project will run as accelerators – tailored six-week programmes will be hosted in Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal and South Africa, offering equity-free funding, technical training, hands-on mentorship, business advisory support and connections to local policy ecosystems.
“Africa is not just the future – it’s a present full of promise and potential. At Meta, we believe open source AI is key to unlocking this potential, by democratising innovation and creating technology that truly serves the needs of diverse communities,” says Balkissa Idé Siddo, public policy director for Sub-Saharan Africa at Meta.
“By making our Llama ecosystem openly available and investing in programmes that matter to the tech ecosystem, we’re empowering local institutions and the next generation of African AI leaders to build, adapt and shape the future of AI in ways that are tailored to their unique needs and contexts."
The programme is implemented in partnership with national AI and innovation agencies, including the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (Nigeria); the Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Affairs (Senegal); the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy (Kenya); the Department of Public Service and Administration and the Centre for Public Service Innovation (South Africa); as well as local incubators and training providers.
Through this collaboration, the initiative will provide technical resources and training, and a platform for developers to contribute to developing critical digital infrastructure to address local challenges and influence emerging AI policies, the social media company adds.
It explains that each accelerator will culminate in a demo day where participating teams will pitch their Llama-powered prototypes to a jury of local and international experts, ecosystem players and policymakers.
Winning teams will receive funding and extended support through a six-month post-programme phase focused on product refinement, community building and market scaling.
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