Bridging the Gap Between Technology, Science, and the Nigerian Languages

Nigerian languages are often classified as low-resourced, and some of the languages spoken in Nigeria have been categorised as endangered. While many speakers struggle to generate suitable vocabulary for the ever-growing world of new inventions and concepts, finding terms for the latest trends in technology, data, and science poses an even greater challenge. The Nigerian Languages and Sci-Tech Conference (NLDSTC) was created to address this through education, advocacy, training, and empowerment.

The NLDSTC is an annual event which highlights the remarkable developments by professionals who work to develop the Nigerian languages and amplifies conversations around language digitisation, preservation, neologism and revitalisation. Organised by Yobamoodua Cultural Heritage, the NLDSTC reminds us that no one can save our languages except us through dialogue, awareness creation, innovation and collaboration.

Since its first edition in 2023, the NLDSTC have featured prominent language professionals from different backgrounds in Nigeria and beyond, who are passionate about the advancements in the development of Nigerian languages, including linguists, researchers, lecturers, language service providers, tech innovators, and students. With over 20 sessions and 60 speakers so far, NLDSTC has proven to be a significant event, sparking discussions around the world on the digital marginalisation of indigenous Nigerian languages and advocating for a more inclusive and accessible cyberspace for Nigerian language users.

NLDSTC 2025, the third edition, is promised to be one of a kind. Centred on the theme, Nigerian Languages in the Global Context: Highlighting Developmental Efforts and Challenges, the event will spotlight trends and innovations which promote the growth, development, and digitisation of indigenous Nigerian languages, and also address challenges faced by language professionals, users, and service providers.

The sub-themes selected for this year’s event are as follows: Language Digitisation and Preservation, Indigenous Language Content Creation, AI and Dataset Creation and Collection, Digital Inclusion, Language Rights Advocacy and Policies, and Language Services. These are known areas where Nigerian languages struggle for relevance and sustainability. With the growing discourse on Nigerian language endangerment and growing advocacy to expand the use of the indigenous languages, this year’s theme and sub-theme are relevant and timely.

At NLDSTC 2023, Adéṣínà Ayẹni (Ọmọ Yoòbá), the Founder of Yobamoodua Cultural Heritage and organiser of the event, highlighted challenges faced by indigenous Nigerian languages in the fast-growing digital world and the possible solutions to tackle said challenges. In this year’s event, we will see how many of these solutions have been applied in global efforts to develop the Nigerian languages.

Thanks to the efforts by Nigerian language teachers and lecturers, NLP researchers, tech innovators, and language activists, there has been significant growth in the development of Nigerian languages today. From digital dictionaries, open source data platforms, text-to-speech software, glossary of terms, and lots more are some of the innovations that will be featured in this year's conference.

If you are a Nigerian language professional, service provider, researcher, tech innovator, activist, student, or an enthusiast passionate about the use and development of the indigenous Nigerian languages, you shouldn’t miss NLDSTC 2025. The conference will run from the 18th of August to the 22nd on Zoom. All necessary information about the conference will be communicated to registered participants.

The NLDSTC 2025 is supported by Alámọ̀já Yorùbá, Nigerian Institute of Translators and Interpreters (NITI), Kultur River C.I.C. United Kingdom, Rising Voices and TermLog.