Meta, in partnership with Data Science Africa, has launched the Llama Impact Grant, a funding initiative aimed at supporting startups and researchers across Sub-Saharan Africa.
The grant offers $20,000 to innovative projects that leverage Meta’s open-source artificial intelligence (AI) model, Llama, to create impactful solutions in sectors such as health, agriculture, and science.
With AI impacting economies and industries, this initiative seeks to provide African innovators with the resources to develop AI-driven applications targeting regional challenges. Startups, research teams, and independent developers working on projects with high social and economic impact are encouraged to apply.
Meta has made its Llama AI model a free-to-use tool that can be modified and expanded upon by organisations and developers worldwide. According to Balkissa Ide Siddo, Public Policy Director for Sub-Saharan Africa at Meta, the company sees AI as a huge stimulus that can reshape industries and boost productivity.
“We’re still in the early days, but AI is likely to fundamentally change every aspect of our lives—spurring innovation, turbo-charging growth, and driving an explosion in learning and productivity. At the forefront of this transformation are open-source AI models, like Meta’s Llama, which are available for free for organizations to use, modify and build on. Through this grant program, we’re hoping to support and scale AI-driven solutions across Africa that use our open source model Llama to address the continent’s unique social and economic challenges, empowering innovators to drive meaningful impact across the region,” she said.
The Llama Impact Grant builds on Meta’s global AI funding initiative, which has been running since October 2023. So far, the programme has attracted over 800 applications from more than 90 countries, with successful projects already making an impact.
Among them is Digital Green’s Farmer Chat, an AI chatbot designed to provide small-scale farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa with personalised agricultural advice. Fine-tuning Llama on extensive farming data, the chatbot gives region-specific guidance in multiple languages, including Swahili, Hindi, and Kikuyu.
Another interesting project is Jacaranda Health’s PROMPTS, a digital health platform that utilises SMS reminders and an AI-powered help desk to connect pregnant women and new mothers in Kenya, Ghana, and Eswatini with essential healthcare services.
How to Apply
Meta has outlined specific criteria for selecting the winning proposal. Projects will be assessed based on:
- A clear and innovative use case for Llama
- Potential for large-scale impact and adoption
- The expertise and composition of the project team
- Ethical AI development practices
- Feasibility, including a realistic budget and timeline
Interested applicants must submit their proposals through Meta’s online portal before April 18, 2025. More details on the application process can be found on Meta’s official website.
With this initiative, Meta aims to strengthen Africa’s AI ecosystem by empowering local developers to create solutions that directly address the region’s pressing challenges.
