Masakhane

Introducing Ubuntu in Practice, a new series celebrating exceptional community members who are helping carry our mission forward. Our first story spotlights Everlyn Asiko Chimoto a research scientist and proud member of the Masakhane community. From hand-curating 8,000 Luhya-English sentence pairs to pioneering data-efficient Machine Learning techniques, Everlyn’s journey shows the power of research grounded in care, collaboration, and community. 📖 Read Dr. Chimoto’s full story https://lnkd.in/dhikg3cH Join us every month as we shine a light on the researchers, organisers, and builders widening the room for the rest of us. #MasakhaneResearchFoundation #AfricaNLP #BuildingAfricanAI #MasakhaneCommunity

We are on a mission to democratise AI and empower over 1 billion Africans through inclusive, open-source AI tools built by and for the continent. As our funding portfolio grows, we need the finance and grants engine behind it to be just as solid — so the Masakhane Research Foundation is looking for a Finance and Grants Officer to join our team! About the Role Working under the technical guidance of the Senior Finance Officer and the Senior Grants Manager, you will process transactions, maintain financial and grant records, coordinate routine compliance, and track budgets and grant obligations. The role is the operational link between Finance, Grants, Programme, Partnerships and Community teams, and works directly with grantees and implementing partners. Key Details Location: Kenya - Remote Contract: Full-time Remote Setup Support How to Apply Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage early submissions. Submit your application detailing your relevant finance and grants administration experience. Please note: this position is based in Kenya. We welcome applications from candidates already based in Kenya with the legal right to work in the country. We are unable to provide relocation assistance or sponsor work authorisation for this role. Apply now! https://lnkd.in/dvNmpRVk Masakhane

We are on a mission to democratise AI and empower over 1 billion Africans through inclusive, open-source AI tools built by and for the continent. Delivering on that mission depends on financial stewardship we can stand behind — so the Masakhane Research Foundation is looking for a Senior Finance Officer to join our team! About the Role Reporting to the Senior Lead, Institutional Finance and Grants Management, you will take day-to-day ownership of MRF's finance function. You'll lead month-end close, accounting, reconciliations, financial reporting, cash-flow forecasting, budget monitoring and audit preparation, translating our institutional financial policies into effective practice. You'll also provide technical guidance to the Finance and Grants Officer and work closely with budget holders, programme teams and the Senior Grants Manager. Key Details Location: Kenya - Remote Contract: Full-time Remote Setup Support How to Apply Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage early submissions. Submit your application detailing your relevant finance and financial management experience. Please note: this position is based in Kenya. We welcome applications from candidates already based in Kenya with the legal right to work in the country. We are unable to provide relocation assistance or sponsor work authorisation for this role. Apply now! https://lnkd.in/dvNmpRVk Masakhane

We are on a mission to democratise AI and empower over 1 billion Africans through inclusive, open-source AI tools built by and for the continent. Getting there means building an institution that can hold multiple funding streams, complex donor arrangements and a growing grants portfolio — so the Masakhane Research Foundation is looking for a Senior Lead, Institutional Finance and Grants Management to join our team! About the Role Reporting to the Director of the Masakhane African Languages Hub, you will be accountable for the development, governance and performance of MRF's institutional finance and grants management function. You'll establish the strategic frameworks, policies, controls, systems and delegated authorities required to manage institutional resources and the full grants portfolio, and provide oversight of financial sustainability, organisational risk, donor compliance and institutional reporting. A core part of the role is designing grant-making mechanisms that balance fiduciary responsibility with our commitment to accessible, community-centred funding — including differentiated risk approaches suited to the size and maturity of each grantee, rather than a single uniform compliance model. Key Details Location: Kenya - Remote Contract: Full-time Remote Setup Support How to Apply Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage early submissions. Submit your application detailing your relevant executive finance and grants management experience. Please note: this position is based in Kenya. We welcome applications from candidates already based in Kenya with the legal right to work in the country. We are unable to provide relocation assistance or sponsor work authorisation for this role. Apply now! https://lnkd.in/dvNmpRVk Masakhane

The Masakhane Research Foundation is delighted to welcome on board Dr. Nancy Adossi, Senior Manager, Research Program and Technical Delivery. With more than 15 years of experience leading complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives across Africa, North America, and Europe, she brings a rare combination of expertise in AI research, international policy, strategy, and community engagement to the role. Her experience spans the United Nations, the World Bank Group, the European Union, and the African Union, where she has worked at the intersection of technology, policy, and development. What makes Nancy’s journey especially meaningful to Masakhane is her commitment to African linguistics and cultural representation in AI. A polyglot fluent in French, English, Spanish, and Ewe, with working knowledge of Fon, she has carried this commitment into her recent work as an editor for the Center for AI and Digital Policy’s upcoming 2027 Democratic Values and AI Index. She is also hoping to add Swahili and Italian to her linguistic repertoire. We are excited for the research, partnerships, and possibilities that will grow under Nancy’s leadership, and we look forward to building a future in which African communities, languages, and perspectives are not only represented in AI, but help shape it. #Masakhane #AfricanNLP #BuildingAfricanLanguageAI Chenai Chair Kathleen Siminyu Clemencia Siro Hatem Haddad Tajuddeen Gwadabe Noah Kipkoech Kevin Harerimana Christiane Ansa Emmin Lydia Taban

Cultivating Sovereign African NLP at #DLIndaba2026! The Hub is hosting a half-day workshop. Join us as we explore offline language wealth, OCR digitisation, data stewardship, and more. 📅 Thursday, 6th August 2026 ⏰ 08:30 – 13:30 📍 Plenary Tent, Pan-Atlantic University Featured Sessions: 🔹 Panel: Beyond the Web: Where Does Your Language Live? 🔹 Hands-On Demo: From Source to Sentence 🔹 OCR & Digitisation for African Languages 🔹 Introduction to Data Stewardship 🔗 Full schedule & info: https://lnkd.in/gH8hNhsa Deep Learning Indaba Tajuddeen GwadabeKevin HarerimanaNoah KipkoechLydia TabanChristiane Ansa EmminChenai Chair

From grassroots data collection to sovereign AI, our community is working to ensure African languages are at the forefront of the global NLP landscape. If you’re attending Deep Learning Indaba this year, we’d love to connect with you! Here is where you can find the Masakhane team throughout the week: 📍All Week (Monday, 3 Aug – Fri, 7 Aug) The Masakhane Booth Stop by anytime to meet our contributors and subgrantees to learn about our ongoing projects and explore how to get involved with the community. Lydia Taban Masakhane Tuesday, 4 Aug Community Panel & Dinner Session (Invite-Only) A focused session on the future of African language tech and community leadership. Kathleen Siminyu Howard Lakougna Kate Kallot-Bucken Chris Emezue Thursday, 6 Aug Workshop: Cultivating Sovereign African NLP A Session on Community-Led Data Collection for African Languages Join us as we dive into practical, community-first approaches to building dataset infrastructure for our languages. Chijioke Okorie, PhD Idris Abdulmumin Christiane Ansa Emmin Kevin Harerimana Tajuddeen Gwadabe Rebecca Ryakitimbo Are you attending Indaba 2026? Drop a comment below or tag someone who should stop by our booth! #DLI2026 #MasakhaneHub #AfricanLanguages Artificial Intelligence for Development (AI4D) Gates Foundation International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Current AI Co-creation HUB (CcHUB) Limited Paradigm Initiative Association for Progressive Communications EqualyzAI