Google has expanded the language capabilities of its AI-powered Search tools, including AI Overviews and AI Mode, to now support Yorùbá and Hausa in Nigeria.
This update enables speakers of these two Nigerian languages to access AI-generated summaries and conversational search experiences in their native tongues. According to Google, this is part of a broader rollout across Africa, bringing the total number of supported African languages to 13.
With the new feature, users can pose complex questions and receive AI-driven responses in Yorùbá or Hausa, either by typing or through voice input in Google Search.
Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Communications and Public Affairs Manager for West Africa at Google, emphasized that the expansion goes beyond simple translation. He 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.”
The integration leverages a custom version of Google’s Gemini model, embedded within Search, designed to enhance multimodal reasoning and improve user interactions across both text and voice.
The complete list of supported African languages now includes Afrikaans, Akan, Amharic, Hausa, Kinyarwanda, Afaan Oromoo, Somali, Sesotho, Kiswahili, Setswana, Wolof, Yorùbá, and isiZulu.
To use the feature, users can open the Google app on Android or iOS devices—or the web version of Search—select AI Mode, and ask questions in their preferred language.
Google says this update reflects its ongoing commitment to making advanced AI systems inclusive, culturally relevant, and accessible to diverse communities across Africa.
