The AI Startup Focused On The Power Of Africa’s Voice

Dr Olubayo Adekanmbi, the CEO and Co-Founder of EqualyzAI, believes AI will only fully fulfill its potential if no one is left behind in the digital revolution. 

“The first thing is to speak to what problem we are solving. If AI is going to become the most disruptive technology, then everyone, everywhere, must have access,” he tells FORBES AFRICA. 

This conviction guided the company’s evolution from its start as Data Science Nigeria–established in 2016 to help build the country’s AI talent ecosystem–to EqualyzAI in 2024.  

Currently, the company is building voice-first agentic AI for more than 75 African languages, designed to work reliably across markets, infrastructure conditions and cost constraints. 

Adekanmbi argues that AI must do more than translate words: “AI must be able to speak like me, reason like me, talk like me, act like me,” he says, emphasizing that understanding culture and context is as important as understanding language. 

The company’s technology allows people to interact with AI through ordinary phone calls; a practical solution for a continent where mobile coverage far exceeds internet access.  

“We make AI consumable via phone call. People can access AI in their local language, with or without the internet,” Adekanmbi explains. 

EqualyzAI focuses on four sectors where AI can have immediate social impact: healthcare, agriculture, education and financial inclusion.  

What sets it apart, says Adekanmbi, is its ability to build technology around realities often overlooked by global AI companies.  

“We are grounded, we are hyper-local, and we are all integrated. We want to equalize AI opportunities for everyone such that Africa is not left behind.”