Government's Technical and Financial Assistance for Commercializing Emerging Solutions

TLDR

• A group of young innovators from Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences has developed an AI solution called Bridging Silence to translate sign language into Kiswahili text and speech in real time.
• The technology was showcased during the National Education, Skills, and Innovation Week in Tanga and aims to ease communication for people with hearing and speech disabilities.
• The core of the system is SautiBox, which captures user gestures and outputs spoken Kiswahili for hearing individuals.
• The Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (Costech) provides technical and financial assistance to help commercialize emerging solutions through initiatives like MAKISATU.
• The project team includes Project Manager Ms Radhia Omary, Signal Processing Developer Mr Ezekiel Paul, and Community Liaison Coordinator Ms Joycelyne Joshua.