Silas Adekunle, co-founder of Awarri, is spearheading efforts to democratize access to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics across Africa. Alongside his partner, Eniola Edun, Adekunle established Awarri to ensure African representation in the rapidly advancing field of AI.
Awarri’s mission is rooted in making AI and robotics accessible to Africans through innovative tools like MekaMon—a four-legged gaming robot that integrates robotics and augmented reality. Originally developed under Adekunle’s Reach Robotics, MekaMon was later acquired by Awarri and has become a key educational tool in Nigerian schools, teaching students coding and computer science in an engaging, hands-on way.
Last year, Nigeria’s Minister of Information, Communication, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, announced a groundbreaking partnership with Awarri. The collaboration aims to develop Nigeria’s own large language model (LLM), trained in five low-resource languages and accented English, in partnership with Data.org and government agencies.
In November 2023, Awarri launched a data annotation lab in Ikorodu, Lagos, to nurture AI talent in the populous suburban region. The lab is part of Awarri’s broader strategy to position Africa as a key player in AI development. Additionally, the startup introduced LangEasy, a platform that allows users to contribute voice and text data to train the LLM.
Before Awarri, both founders had significant accomplishments in the gaming industry. Adekunle gained global recognition with Reach Robotics, which secured a landmark deal with Apple for MekaMon’s distribution, while Edun founded Gamr Africa, advancing gaming culture in Lagos.
“Awarri is more than a tech company—it’s a movement to empower Africans through technology and innovation,” Edun said.
With initiatives like LangEasy, MekaMon integration in schools, and its data annotation lab, Awarri is not only shaping Africa’s AI future but also fostering a new generation of tech leaders and innovators.
