Nigerian voice AI startup Intron launches Sahara v2.5, a multilingual speech model supporting 31 African languages.

Intron launched Sahara v2.5, its updated voice AI model, on Tuesday, August 26, 2026, at the Deep Learning Indaba in Lagos.

The new model addresses code-switching and introduces a trilingual speech recognition system for Kinyarwanda, English, and French.

Sahara v2.5 outperformed Google's Gemini 3.6 in comparative benchmarks, recording an average word error rate of 34.3% compared to Gemini's 53.8% across 12 African languages.

The launch of Sahara v2.5 highlights a growing shift toward localized, context-aware AI models tailored specifically to Africa's linguistic diversity, especially code-switching, which global platforms have historically underserved.

As these targeted models gain traction, expect increased deployment of voice-based automated services in healthcare, judiciary, and financial systems across Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa.

This localized performance will likely prompt major global technology firms to seek partnerships or acquisitions with local startups to close their performance gaps in African markets.