The second phase of the Centre for Digital and Language Inclusion (CDLI) initiative is now underway in Kenya, driving the development of inclusive Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) systems for people with non-typical or slurred speech, particularly in African languages. This marks the second innovation sprint in a pan-African effort to close the digital divide for individuals with speech impairments, building on a successful pilot in Ghana.

GDI Hub’s Richard Cave and Catherine Holloway are in Ghana advancing the Centre for Digital Language Inclusion (CDLI), launched with UCL, University of Ghana, and Talking Tipps Africa. CDLI is collecting non-standard speech data in African languages to build inclusive, open-source AI speech recognition tools, ensuring accessibility for disabled people with communication barriers.

UCL’s GDI Hub has launched the Centre for Digital Language Inclusion to develop AI-powered speech recognition for people with non-standard speech, focusing on African languages. In partnership with global institutions and with support from Google.org, the Centre will collect open-source datasets, train communities, and create inclusive communication technologies for underserved populations.