Many Africans living in the United Kingdom, Europe, and North America, learning a native language is more than an academic exercise, it is a vital way to reconnect with heritage, identity, and culture. Yet mainstream language apps often provide generic models that struggle to capture the tonal subtleties, conversational rhythms, and cultural nuances of languages such as Yoruba, Igbo, or Hausa.
Adebola Onabanjo, a UK-based creative technologist, is tackling this challenge with Asalingo, an AI-driven, speech-first platform designed specifically for African languages. Unlike conventional apps that rely heavily on text-based lessons and memorization, Asalingo emphasizes practical, conversation based learning. Users record spoken responses to real-life prompts, and the AI provides immediate feedback on pronunciation and tonal accuracy, a critical feature in languages where pitch can entirely change a word’s meaning.
“The goal is to move beyond memorizing words and phrases,” Onabanjo explains. “We want learners to speak, engage, and use the language confidently in real-world situations.” The platform’s design is built around the lived experiences of second generation Africans and diaspora learners, who often struggle to access culturally relevant language resources.
Technically, Asalingo runs on a speech-first methodology tailored to African linguistic patterns. It uses AI models trained to recognize tonal variations and phonetic details, enabling learners to master not just vocabulary, but the mechanics of speech itself. This precision sets it apart from diaspora-adapted AI, which often flattens or overlooks tonal distinctions.
But Asalingo’s ambition goes beyond individual learning. The platform seeks to create a digital repository for African languages, ensuring they remain alive and viable in a tech-driven world. By preserving the social, cultural, and business contexts embedded in these languages, Onabanjo is safeguarding a part of African heritage for future generations.
The startup is expanding its library to include additional African languages and is building digital dashboards for language schools. Collaborations with African studies departments at universities are also being explored, aiming to integrate Asalingo’s speech technology into formal academic programs. A pilot program at the University of Hull is underway, gathering feedback from diaspora learners to refine the platform’s lessons and user experience.
Currently, the app focuses on short, interactive sessions of 10–15 minutes. Each session allows learners to practice phrases, record responses, and receive AI-generated feedback reflecting actual attention patterns and usage behaviour rather than rigid classroom structures. Onabanjo’s approach prioritizes quality and accuracy over rapid user acquisition, ensuring tonal modeling, pronunciation feedback, and lesson flow are continuously refined.
Asalingo also benefits from Onabanjo’s experience at Dexola Studio, where he built AI-driven digital experiences grounded in cultural relevance. His vision is clear: African languages must exist not only in memory but in the everyday technologies people use.
Looking forward, the platform plans to maintain its speech-first, no-sign-up approach while expanding its capabilities. Future updates may include multiple currency and language support, fiat-to-fiat conversions, and access to tokenized assets such as stocks and commodities. Asalingo aims to evolve into a broader financial and educational gateway, similar to how platforms like MoonPay integrate fiat and crypto systems, but with a focus on African languages and cultural context.
By combining AI, linguistic research, and diaspora engagement, Asalingo is helping Africans reclaim their languages and ensure they thrive in the digital age. For Onabanjo, it is a personal and collective mission: equipping the diaspora to speak their native tongues while preserving Africa’s linguistic heritage for generations to come.
Learn more at www.asalingo.com.