Silas Adekunle, co-founder of Awarri, is making waves in Africa’s technology landscape. Together with his partner, Eniola Edun, Adekunle established Awarri, a cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) research lab, to amplify African representation in the fast-evolving AI and robotics industry.
The inspiration behind Awarri stems from a mission to democratize access to AI and robotics across the continent. Central to this vision is MekaMon, a groundbreaking four-legged robot that combines robotics with augmented reality to bring video games to life. Users can control MekaMon through an app, making it an interactive tool that not only entertains but also sparks curiosity in STEM fields among young Africans.
Adekunle and Edun have a history of breaking barriers. Before founding Awarri, Edun led Gamr Africa, a startup that championed gaming culture in Lagos, while Adekunle gained global acclaim through Reach Robotics, a company that secured a landmark deal with Apple for the distribution of MekaMon. In a bold move, Awarri acquired the rights to MekaMon, integrating it into Nigerian schools to teach students coding and computer science. “MekaMon has been a powerful tool in introducing students to technology in a hands-on and engaging way,” Edun remarked.
Awarri’s innovative contributions have not gone unnoticed. Last year, Nigeria’s Minister of Information, Communication, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, partnered with Awarri to develop the country’s first large language model (LLM). This groundbreaking model will be trained in five low-resource African languages and accented English, aiming to bridge language gaps and empower digital communication across the continent.
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To support this mission, Awarri launched LangEasy in 2023, an app that enables users to train the LLM using voice and text inputs. By reading and recording sentences provided by the app, users contribute valuable data to the model, making AI development a truly collaborative effort.
In addition, Awarri established a data annotation lab in Ikorodu, Lagos, which serves as a talent development hub. Designed to nurture AI expertise in densely populated suburban areas, the lab reflects Awarri’s commitment to fostering a new generation of tech leaders.
Through groundbreaking innovations like MekaMon and LangEasy, Awarri is not just advancing AI but also redefining how Africa participates in the global tech economy. Adekunle and Edun’s vision is clear: to ensure that Africa is not only represented but also a leader in the AI revolution.
