Nigerians can now get Google directions in local accent

Cape Town — We all know Nigerians are proud of their unique accent.

So technology giant Google has given Nigerian drivers an option to hear travel advice in a local voice when they use Google Maps. The new feature with the local accent is also available on Google Assistant.

Before the new app, Google was struggling to pronounce local names such as Lagos‘ Alfred Rewane road – which came out as Alfred Re-wain. It also couldn’t cope with the suburb Oworonshoki, reports BBC.

Google has also announced new products and features to make it more helpful to more people in Nigeria and across Africa. The company has introduced new Street View imagery, Gallery Go, Google Go updates, Google Lens and Bolo, and a Nigerian culinary experience from Google Arts and Culture. This will help make it easier to visually explore places in Nigeria.

Google said these features would soon be introduced in Benin Republic, Ghana, Rwanda, Togo and Uganda in the next few months.

The local accent feature is the first such move by the company in Africa as it seeks to attract more users on the continent, says Reuters.

Wouldn’t it be cool if Google introduced a map with pidgin accent, or are we now just pushing it…?