Equiano Wrapped

Equiano Institute is an AI research lab focused on responsible AI adoption in Africa. 2025 was the year the theoretical became the tangible. For Equiano Institute, it was a period of rapid transition—from a nascent research lab to a pivotal node in the global AI governance network.

This review documents the milestones of that journey, capturing both the broad strokes of continental progress and the specific, high-velocity outputs of our internal teams.

Achievements & Vision

In 2025, we translated that mission into concrete outputs and global engagement. Our strategic reports and academic papers, including Towards Social Responsible Scaling Policies and Language Input for Data & Society (LIDS), have positioned Equiano as a global leader in AI governance.

Our presence in Europe, particularly the AI in the City conference at ENS Paris, showcased our commitment to harmonizing global frameworks while ensuring Every Language Matters. We continue to bridge the gap between local innovation and global policy through hands-on programs and high-impact research. The emergence of spinoffs like Market Shaping AI and Fair Work for AI in Kenya demonstrates our ability to scale impact beyond research, building the economic and social infrastructure needed for a safe and equitable AI future.

Equiano Wrapped 2025 Deck

Interactive Deck: Navigate through our 2025 milestones and vision.

Africa's AI Progress

2025 saw groundbreaking research breakthroughs across the continent, from massive multilingual datasets to novel alignment frameworks.

AI Hubs (UNDP)

AI Hub for Sustainable Development

Alignment Debt

Framework for user-side AI burden

State of LLMs

Analysis of 42 supported African languages

Biosafety Frameworks

Regulatory focus on genome editing

Major Breakthroughs

Where we are at Equiano

Our work this year has been defined by a singular focus: Sovereign Intelligence. We believe that for AI to be a force for good in Africa, it must be grounded in local data, governed by local frameworks, and built on resilient, localized infrastructure.

We have moved beyond simple advocacy. Today, Equiano is an engine for active frontier research. From our labs in Nairobi to our collaborations in Paris and Oxford, we are synthesizing the technical, ethical, and political dimensions of AI into a coherent vision for the continent.

Progress Dynamics

Resource & Impact Flow

And that brings us to our progress dynamics! If you are looking at how we allocate our research effort and where it flows into the ecosystem, you'd want to know how our inputs translate into tangible impact. So let's get down to brass tacks.

Overview Metrics

2025 Performance Data

Research

Collaborations

Spinoffs

Events

Key Highlights from 2025:

•Equiano transitioned from a research lab to an impact incubator.
•Most of our effort is concentrated on sovereign data and safety frameworks.
•With additional spinoffs like Market Shaping AI, we are scaling formal safety guarantees.
•International presence in Paris and Oxford has solidified our global policy influence.

"If you have more detailed questions about our research trajectory, spinoff models, or policy frameworks, please feel free to reach out to our team at research@equiano.institute or for general inquiries feedback@equiano.institute."

Research Focus

Policy Impact

Equiano Institute

Research & Milestones

Research / Safety2025

Impact
Global

Towards Social Responsible Scaling Policies

A working paper on ethical and societal AI scaling frameworks, proposing responsible scaling policies for frontier models.

Research / Data2025

Impact
Foundational

Language Input for Data & Society (LIDS)

A framework for community-centric data licensing (LIDS), ensuring local innovators can access and benefit from data collectives.

Research / BehaviorMay 2025

Impact
High

LLMs Are More Persuasive Than Humans

Multi-author research demonstrating that LLMs can be more persuasive than incentivized human persuaders in complex scenarios.

Event / GovernanceNov 2, 2025

Impact
International

Securing the Future of AI (Paris)

Presented at ENS Paris (Salle des Actes). A sold-out session on harmonizing frameworks and approaches for global AI safety.

Event / MultilingualNov 2, 2025

Impact
Cultural

Every Language Matters (Paris)

Keynote at ENS Paris (Salle Cavaillès). A sold-out talk on how local innovators make AI accessible through multilingual datasets.

Research / ReportMay 14, 2025

Impact
Systemic

Africa’s Abundance Frontier (AGI)

A landmark report by Jonas Kgomo arguing that African constraints (energy, water, etc.) can catalyze innovation rather than limit it.

Research / Report2025

Impact
Cultural

Ethnography & AI Workshop

A deep dive into the cultural and social dimensions of AI adoption, exploring how local contexts shape technology use.

Policy / EconomicsFeb 14, 2025

Impact
High

AI Diffusion Strategy Under Strain?

Analysis of global events (Project Stargate, US export controls, DeepSeek) and their impacts on developing countries’ AI futures.

Program / NLPMay 2025

Impact
Foundational

Evals-in-Residence

Launched a continent-wide NLP evaluation initiative focusing on under-resourced African languages (Swahili, Yoruba, Zulu).

Policy / Governance2025

Impact
Regional

Interstate AI Policy Playbook

A comprehensive guide for AI governance in Africa and Small Island Developing States.

Spinoffs & Ecosystem

Scaling Impact

Spinoff / Safety

Focus
Economic

Market Shaping AI / Formal Markets

Building financial and economic incentives for safe, formally verified AI through market-based structures and formal guarantees.

Visit Initiative

Ecosystem / Labor

Focus
Social

Fair Work for AI in Kenya

A data-worker centred project documenting and advocating for fair labour practices in AI supply chains, co-ordinated with Equiano.

Visit Initiative

Equiano Institute Metrics

Policy Briefs & Playbooks

AI strategy playbook and G20/T20 digital infrastructure brief

Peer-Reviewed Papers

Two SSRN working papers and one arXiv co-authored paper

Spinoff Initiatives

Market Shaping AI and Fairwork AI launched from the institute

Building the Future Together

2025 has been a year of transition and growth. We have moved from identifying challenges to building the institutional and technical infrastructure needed for a safe, equitable, and sovereign AI future in Africa.

The road ahead is long, but the momentum is undeniable. Through coordinated research, adaptive policy, and community-centric innovation, we are ensuring that the benefits of AI are shared by all.

Support Our Mission

Help us continue building the AI Alignment Research Lab for Africa. Your support directly funds local research, talent fellowships, and sovereign infrastructure.

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