Nigerian PhD Candidate Earns Global Recognition for Giving Indigenous Languages a Voice in AI
- Lateef Adeleke, who graduated with a first-class degree in Linguistics from Adekunle Ajasin University, won a prestigious global award years after his groundbreaking Nigerian university journey
- The AAUA graduate, now a PhD candidate at the University of Rochester in the US, was named the recipient of the 2026 NLDSTC Indigenous NLP Excellence Award
- Adeleke was selected from a pool of 10 nominated individuals after developing a research project that made an Uneme speech recognition model freely available to the global AI community
Lateef Adeleke, the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba (AAUA) graduate who once broke the internet with his first-class degree in Linguistics, has done it again, this time on a global stage, after winning a prestigious award for his work on African language technology in artificial intelligence.
From AAUA to the University of Rochester
Adeleke's path to academic excellence was anything but straightforward. He previously spoke publicly about declining his first university admission because his father could not afford to sponsor his education at the time, only learning the full story behind that decision much later.
Source: Twitter
From AAUA to the University of Rochester
When he got his second chance, he made it count, securing admission to AAUA and graduating with a first-class degree in Linguistics, a journey he described to Legit.ng in an exclusive interview as one that demanded a great deal from him.
That foundation in language study eventually carried him across the Atlantic. He is now a PhD candidate in Linguistics at the University of Rochester in the United States, where his research has drawn international recognition.
The award that made history
The Nigerian Languages Data and Sci-Tech Conference (NLDSTC) named Adeleke the recipient of its 2026 Indigenous NLP Excellence Award, selecting him from a group of ten nominated individuals. The honour recognised his contributions to indigenous language technology, specifically his development of an Uneme automatic speech recognition model, which he made freely accessible to the global AI community.
His research project, sponsored by the Endangered Languages Documentation Programme, reaches across multiple areas including oral history, indigenous iron technology, and the Uneme language itself. By building and releasing this model at no cost to researchers and developers worldwide, Adeleke has effectively given an endangered African language a functional presence in the rapidly growing field of natural language processing.
The award marks a significant milestone not only for Adeleke personally but for the broader effort to ensure that African languages are not left behind as AI technology continues to evolve at pace.
Nigerian youth builds AI tracking device
Meanwhile, Legit.ng recently reported that a Nigerian youth built a Smart AI Tracking System, which he claimed can track people, vehicles and animals using GPS, SIM and AI technology.
The innovator said he developed the device in his small workshop and appealed for investment and collaboration to help improve the tracker and begin large-scale production.
Source: Legit.ng
