Akaalo · Uganda · Offline AI

Technology for the places the internet forgot.

Akaalo builds offline technology for education, designed for environments where connectivity, hardware and power cannot be assumed.

See how Nambi works → Support the work →

Students in a Ugandan classroom learning with Nambi on a device

Nansana, Uganda · 2026

§ 01 · The proposition

Most AI assumes the internet.

Nambi is designed around the opposite assumption: that the connection will not be there, that the hardware is modest, and that the room may lose power. The model runs on the device itself. Nothing depends on the cloud.

Device→ Model→ Learner

§ 02 · The product

Nambi

An AI tutor that does not need a Wi-Fi connection.

Runs locally

A custom model, fine-tuned from Qwen, runs on the device: no API, no subscription, no data cost.

Built for constrained hardware

Designed around low-cost 3 GB Android tablets rather than cloud infrastructure.

Designed for classrooms

Learning, interaction and progress continue without an internet connection.

Read the offline argument →

§ 03 · The environment

The infrastructure matters.

Technology cannot be separated from the conditions around it: connectivity, power, hardware, teacher time, language, cost and maintenance. Akaalo starts from those conditions rather than assuming them away.

Students working together in a Ugandan classroom

Hands at a keyboard during an ICT session

A facilitator supporting learners during a session

Photography from the pilot programme. Current images show laptops; new tablet photography is pending.

§ 04

What we know so far.

154

Students in the live pilot

$1.30

Per student, per term

Internet used after setup

3 GB

Minimum tablet RAM

The pilot runs at Nurture Africa Vocational Training Centre, Nansana, Uganda. Session logs, quiz results and attendance are recorded on-device and exported for reporting. Full methodology and outcome data are shared with funders and research partners on request.

View the pilot evidence →

§ 05 · The learner

Start with the learner.

The pilot teaches the practical digital skills employers actually ask for, not a feature list. Students learn by doing, in conversation with the tutor, at their own pace.

WordExcelEmailData entryDigital filingProblem solving

§ 06

What happens when the infrastructure changes?

Nambi is not presented as a finished answer. It is an experiment in offline computing, adaptive learning, local-language technology and low-cost hardware, carried out in real African learning environments.

§ 07