Meta Launches Llama Impact Accelerator to Back African AI Startups

Meta has launched the Llama Impact Accelerator, a startup-focused program aimed at strengthening open-source AI innovation across Sub-Saharan Africa. Targeting early-stage ventures, the initiative will support the development of AI tools that address the region’s most urgent socio-economic challenges, including agriculture, health, education, and public service delivery.

Meta is delivering the program in partnership with national innovation and digital economy agencies, including Nigeria’s Ministry of Communications, Kenya’s Ministry of ICT, Senegal’s Ministry of Telecommunications, and South Africa’s Centre for Public Service Innovation. Local incubators and training organizations will also contribute to the accelerator.

“Africa is not just the future, it’s a present full of promise and potential,” said Balkissa Idé Siddo, Meta’s Public Policy Director for Sub-Saharan Africa. “By making our Llama ecosystem openly available and investing in programs that matter to the tech ecosystem, we’re empowering local institutions and the next generation of African AI leaders to build, adapt, and shape the future of AI in ways that are tailored to their unique needs and contexts.”

The six-week accelerator will be held in Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal, and South Africa, offering participants equity-free funding, technical training, business mentorship, and access to policy networks. Each cohort will conclude with a Demo Day, where teams will pitch their Llama-powered solutions to experts, investors, and government representatives. Selected startups will also benefit from six months of additional support focused on scaling their products and building communities around their innovations.

The initiative reflects a growing interest in Africa’s tech ecosystem, where AI is seen as a tool for driving inclusive development, particularly for African startups building solutions at the intersection of AI and social impact.