A professor of Applied Linguistics at Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike (AE-FUNAI), Ebonyi State, Nnenna Nwanyioma Nwosu-Nworuh, has developed a computer keyboard designed to support the digital writing of Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba. The keyboard, known as Linguascript, was unveiled on Thursday, September 3, 2026, during the university's 10th Inaugural Lecture at the Senate Chamber.
Delivering the lecture titled 'Multilingualism and Functional Literacy: Hard, Soft or Blended Skills?', she said the innovation addresses the poor representation of Nigerian languages in digital technology: 'No African and Nigerian language features on a computer keyboard. Hence, this is my research innovation.' The project took four years of R&D to produce the prototype, followed by another eight years to develop the plug-and-play version.
She called for partnerships with manufacturers - citing HP, Huawei, Acer and Zinox - to produce the keyboard commercially for schools and the wider market, and urged governments and educational institutions to strengthen language programmes and introduce proficiency-based curricula. She identified funding as a major challenge, saying apart from N500,000 awarded as third-position winner in 2018, she had largely financed the research and production herself.
AE-FUNAI Vice-Chancellor Prof. Daniel Nwachukwu stressed the need to produce graduates capable of applying knowledge to real-life problems: 'Literacy without application is empty, and multilingualism without purpose is noise.' https://thenationonlineng.net/nigerian-professor-unveils-keyboard-for-igbo-hausa-yoruba/
