Moroccan AI Startup ToumAI Aims to Bridge Africa’s AI Gap

With the U.S. and China dominating artificial intelligence, Africa often seems sidelined in the global AI race. But one Moroccan startup, ToumAI, is proving that the continent has much more to offer than just a growing consumer base. After securing €1 million in pre-seed funding, the company is now focused on solving one of Africa’s biggest AI challenges—language inclusion.

The AI Language Gap

AI models are typically trained on widely available online data, which heavily favours English and other dominant global languages. This has left African languages—spoken by over a billion people—largely excluded from AI-driven solutions.

ToumAI is tackling this problem by building AI-powered customer experience (CX) solutions that can understand African dialects, accents, and speech patterns. Working with telecom providers, banks, and call centres, the company analyses voice data to improve customer service interactions. This approach is especially critical in Africa, where literacy rates vary widely, and voice-based communication is often the preferred method.

“In a world where AI advancement has been dominated by the US, China, and to a lesser extent Europe, we are proud to be building an important AI application layer from Africa for global markets,” said Youcef Rahmani, Chief Operating Officer of ToumAI.

From Text to Voice

ToumAI initially focused on text analysis but soon pivoted to voice to better serve its target market. In its first proof of concept, the company partnered with Morocco’s Attijariwafa Bank in 2022 to analyse customer feedback. It later expanded into voice solutions, collaborating with telecom giants like Orange.

The results have been promising. A telecom provider in Tunisia saw its conversion rate for a subscription product jump from 3% to 30% after integrating ToumAI’s voice AI. Meanwhile, a Moroccan telco cut its average customer service wait time from four minutes to just ninety seconds.

Competitive Edge and Future Plans

Despite competing in a highly technical industry, ToumAI believes its focus on emerging markets gives it a unique advantage. By prioritising African languages and customer interactions, the startup has secured large datasets that will help refine its AI models.

Another key advantage is its approach to data privacy. Since most African countries lack local data centres, customer data is often processed overseas—a concern for regulators. ToumAI addresses this by anonymising voice data before sending it to the cloud for processing, ensuring compliance with data protection laws.

Unlike competitors that charge per-minute fees, ToumAI operates on a yearly maintenance fee model, adjusting pricing based on customer interactions and language support. With funding secured from investors like Launch Africa Ventures, Orange Ventures, and Madica Ventures, the startup is now focused on expanding its team and converting its pilot projects into permanent contracts.

Beyond Africa, ToumAI sees its model as scalable to other emerging markets. The company is already exploring partnerships with big tech firms like NVIDIA and Intel, hoping to cement its place in the global AI ecosystem.