Google has expanded language support for its Gemini Search features, AI Overviews and Artificial Intelligence Mode, to include Yorùbá and Hausa languages, explaining that the inclusion of the two Nigerian languages is to ensure that its AI experiences reach the communities that need them most.
In a statement released yesterday, the advanced tech conglomerate said this update allows speakers of both Nigerian languages to utilise AI-powered Search experiences in their mother tongue for quick summaries and conversational exploration.
Disclosing that the languages were chosen based on the vibrant search activity across the continent, Google maintained that the expansion is part of a broader strategy to make AI more inclusive across the continent, with support now extending to a total of 13 African languages.
For Nigerians, this means that existing AI features in Google Search are now accessible to people like the student in Kano asking a question in Hausa, and the trader in Ibadan seeking advice in Yorùbá.
By addressing language barriers, this update ensures that technology reflects the identity and culture of the people it serves. With this expansion, more people can now use AI Mode to ask complex questions in their preferred language, while exploring the web more deeply and naturally through text or voice.
Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Communications & Public Affairs manager, West Africa, Google said: “Building a truly global Search goes far beyond translation — it requires a nuanced understanding of local information.
“With the advanced multimodal and reasoning capabilities of our custom version of Gemini in Search, we’ve made huge strides in language understanding, so our most advanced AI search capabilities are locally relevant and useful in each new language we support.
“This is about ensuring Nigerians can converse with Search in their mother tongues, making information more helpful for everyone,” he said.
Top Society reports that the 13 languages now supported across Africa on Google AI search console include: Afrikaans, Akan, Amharic, Hausa, Kinyarwanda, Afaan Oromoo, Somali, Sesotho, Kiswahili, Setswana, Wolof, Yorùbá, and isiZulu.
