The University of Ghana, Google Research Africa, and UCL’s Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub) have joined forces on “tɛkyerɛma pa” (“Good Tongue”), an AI project to improve communication for individuals with non-standard speech in Ghana.
This initiative focuses on enhancing speech recognition technology for five Ghanaian languages—Akan, Ewe, Ikposo, Dagbani, and Dagaare.
Event highlight
On November 1, a tech talk at Google Ghana’s office showcased progress on Project Euphonia, a research project to advance Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) for non-standard speech. This marks the start of data collection in Ghana for tɛkyerɛma pa.
The big picture
Globally, people with conditions like Cerebral Palsy, ALS, stroke, or Down Syndrome face communication challenges, as current speech recognition tech often struggles with non-standard speech patterns.
Project tɛkyerɛma pa aims to close this gap in Ghana by creating localized ASR models, making AI more inclusive.
How it works
Supported by a $40,000 Google grant and expertise from UCL’s GDI Hub, University of Ghana researchers will work with Google Research scientists to train speech models.
This collaboration underscores the theme “AI by Africa for Africa,” emphasizing the global impact of locally led innovation.
What they’re saying
- Prof. Isaac Wiafe, Project Lead: “We are thrilled to lead this initiative to help more Ghanaians communicate effectively, regardless of their speech patterns.”
- Katrin Tomanek, Google Research: “Project tɛkyerɛma pa will create the first open-source dataset of non-standard Ghanaian speech, reflecting Google’s commitment to inclusive AI research in Africa.”
- Prof. Cathy Holloway, GDI Hub: “This collaboration not only benefits individuals in Ghana but provides valuable insights for global AI, laying the foundation for future language models in Africa.”
Why it matters
This project builds on Google’s broader AI commitment in Africa, leveraging local expertise, cloud computing resources, and funding.
As speech therapists begin collecting diverse speech samples, tɛkyerɛma pa will drive more inclusive tech in Ghana and, potentially, worldwide.
