NIGERIA: Google Expands AI Search Support To Yorùbá And Hausa

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria 

Google has announced the addition of Yorùbá and Hausa languages to its Artificial Intelligence-powered search features in Nigeria.

The update enables speakers of these widely spoken Nigerian languages to access AI-generated summaries and conversational search experiences directly in their mother tongue.

Communications and Public Affairs Manager for West Africa at Google, Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday.

He explained that the expansion increases the number of supported African languages in Google’s AI Search capabilities to 13, marking a significant step in the company’s efforts to make artificial intelligence more inclusive across the continent.

The new feature allows users to interact with search in a more natural way.

A student in Kano can now ask questions in Hausa, while a trader in Ibadan can seek information or advice in Yorùbá.

The update supports both text and voice inputs, enabling complex queries and conversational exploration of the web.

Kola-Ogunlade emphasised that the improvement goes beyond simple translation.

He highlighted that Google’s custom version of the Gemini model delivers advanced multimodal and reasoning capabilities, ensuring responses are locally relevant and useful in each supported language.

He described the goal as allowing Nigerians to converse with search in their preferred mother tongues, making information more accessible and helpful for everyone.

The move forms part of Google’s broader commitment to bridging language barriers in AI technology, particularly in Africa where multilingual support remains limited.

With Yorùbá and Hausa now integrated, millions of Nigerian users can benefit from more intuitive and culturally attuned search results.

The company said further language expansions are expected as AI capabi

lities continue to evolve.