Djibouti and Somalia Launch Joint Initiative to Advance AI in the Somali Language

Mogadishu, April 6, 2026 - A new milestone in regional scientific cooperation was marked with the launch of an artificial intelligence initiative aimed at strengthening digital tools for the Somali language, through collaboration between Djibouti and Somalia. The initiative was presented during a ceremony held at the Jazeera Hotel in Mogadishu, bringing together researchers, policymakers, and academic institutions. Two major developments were unveiled: a research project focused on detecting fake news in Somali-language social media content, and the launch of the Somali-Language AI & Innovation Lab (SAIL). The research project, titled “Somali-Written Fake News on Social Media using NLP & Deep Learning,” applies natural language processing and deep learning techniques to identify misinformation targeting Somali-speaking users online. The program is the result of collaboration between the University of Djibouti, through its Center for Research in Mathematics and Digital Technology (CRMN) and CEALT, and Jamhuuriya University of Science and Technology in Mogadishu, via its Center for Graduate Studies. Djiboutian researchers, including Houssein Ahmed Assoweh, Director of CRMN, and Souleiman Omar Hoch, Director of CEALT, played key roles in the development and implementation of the project. Officials described the initiative as part of a broader strategy to position the Horn of Africa as an emerging hub for artificial intelligence applied to African languages. Beyond institutional cooperation, the project aims to expand the use of Somali in modern digital technologies. The research has already received international recognition, including the Best Paper Award at the AfricaNLP workshop, held within the ACI international conference, a major event in the field of artificial intelligence and natural language processing. According to researchers involved in the project, the long-term objective is to strengthen the presence of Somali in digital ecosystems, enabling applications such as machine translation, voice assistants, education technologies, and misinformation detection tools. “This collaboration is set to strengthen in order to put artificial intelligence at the service of the linguistic and cultural preservation of the Somali language,” said Assoweh. “Our objective is to transform Somali from a language with limited resources to one fully equipped and integrated into modern technologies.” The initiative reflects a growing emphasis on regional cooperation in innovation and digital sovereignty, with both countries seeking to attract international funding and build sustainable AI capacity in the region.