Stakeholders in academia and technology have called for stronger collaboration to promote indigenous languages through innovation.
A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the stakeholders made the call at the inauguration of KoEde, a Yoruba language learning application at the University of Ibadan (UI) on Monday.
Dr Aderonke Sakpere, Principal Investigator of KoEde, said that the application was developed as an interactive, mobile-based language learning platform designed to bridge the gap in indigenous language acquisition, particularly in children.
According to her, the project began in 2022 following her participation in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Empowering Teachers Programme, which required participants to design socially impactful projects.
Sakpere said that findings from a pilot study showed that many Nigerian children were losing proficiency in their indigenous languages, prompting the development of the app.
“KoEde relies on gamification principles to make learning engaging and user-friendly. It is user-centred, meaning we involved language experts, teachers and children at every stage of the design process,” she said.
Sakpere added that the application features puzzle games, matching exercises, audio pronunciation guides and vocabulary widgets to enhance learning.
She said that extensive user testing over four years showed that the application was easy to use, engaging and supportive of learners, including foreign students studying Yoruba.
Former Vice-Chancellor of UI and Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, described the initiative as timely and impactful.
He urged the developers to strengthen collaboration to make the application more robust and emphasised the need to preserve Yoruba and other indigenous languages threatened by extinction.
“Your mother tongue comes first. We must promote our local languages and prevent them from going into extinction,” he said.
Also speaking, Chief Executive Officer of Educational Advancement Centre, Dr Muyiwa Bamgbose, said that integrating technology into indigenous languages was critical for Africa’s development.
He said that children learn better when taught in their mother tongue, citing previous intervention projects that improved academic performance when lessons were delivered in indigenous languages.
“Today’s launch of KoEde app reminds us that innovation must be rooted in context. We can design solutions that understand our environment, address our realities, and still compete globally.
“That’s what meaningful research looks like. This app is more than a product. It is proof that scholarship, collaboration, and purpose can produce real impact. To our students, don’t just use technology, build it, share it. Let it solve real problems. So, I hereby congratulate everyone involved in this milestone,” Bamgbose said.
Similarly, the First Female African Professor of Computer Science, Adenike Osofisan, described the project as a milestone for the Faculty of Computing at UI and commended efforts to preserve Yoruba language and culture.
She advocated for more intentional attempt to preserve the Yoruba language.
Also, the Vice-Chancellor of Bowen University, Iwo, Prof. Jonathan Babalola, said language was central to identity and urged continuous improvement of the innovation.
“The fact is that language is not just a means of communication. It’s an identity and people fight by all means to make sure that the identity is established,” Babalola said.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of UI, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, represented by Prof. Olumuyiwa Omobowale, the Director of Special Duties, commended promoters of the app for their visionary leadership.
He encouraged students to engage actively in advancing Human Computer Interaction in Africa.
(NAN)
