Google Adds Yorùbá, Hausa to AI Search Features in Nigeria, Expands African Language Support

Google has added Yorùbá and Hausa to AI Search Features in Nigeria and expanded African Language Support.

NewsOnline Nigeria reports that Google has introduced Yorùbá and Hausa language support for its AI-powered search tools, allowing millions of Nigerians to interact with advanced search features in their native languages.

The update applies to AI Overviews and AI Mode in Google Search, enabling users to receive quick AI-generated summaries and explore topics through conversational queries in Yorùbá or Hausa. The new support aims to make information more accessible for local communities across Nigeria.

According to Google, the move is part of a wider initiative to make artificial intelligence more inclusive across Africa. With the latest expansion, AI-powered search features now support 13 African languages, allowing more users across the continent to interact with digital tools in their mother tongue.

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The update means a student in Kano can ask questions in Hausa while a trader in Ibadan can seek advice or information in Yorùbá using AI-powered search.

Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Communications and Public Affairs Manager for West Africa at Google, said the company is working to ensure its technology reflects the diversity of languages and cultures across the region.

“Building a truly global Search goes far beyond translation — it requires a nuanced understanding of local information,” Kola-Ogunlade said. “With the advanced multimodal and reasoning capabilities of our custom version of Google Gemini in Search, we’ve made significant progress in language understanding so our most advanced AI search tools remain relevant and useful in every language we support.”

He added that enabling Nigerians to interact with search tools in their native languages helps make information more accessible and meaningful.

The 13 African languages currently supported include Afrikaans, Akan, Amharic, Hausa, Kinyarwanda, Afaan Oromoo, Somali, Sesotho, Kiswahili, Setswana, Wolof, Yorùbá and isiZulu.

How to use AI Overviews and AI Mode in your language:

1. Open the Google app on an Android or iOS device, or use the web version.

2. Tap on AI Mode within the search interface.

3. Type or speak your question in Yorùbá or Hausa to begin exploring information with AI-powered assistance.

The update marks another step in Google’s efforts to expand AI accessibility and improve digital inclusion across Africa.