--- language_creators: - creator_1 language: - ach - aka - amh - dag - dga - ewe - fat - ful - hau - ibo - kik - kpo - lin - lug - luo - mas - mlg - nyn - orm - sid - sna - sog - swa - tir - twi - wal - yor license: - cc-by-sa-4.0 - cc-by-4.0 multilinguality: - multilingual source_datasets: - UGSpeechData - DigitalUmuganda/AfriVoice - original task_categories: - automatic-speech-recognition - text-to-speech pretty_name: Waxal NLP Datasets arxiv: 2602.02734 annotation_creators: - human-annotated - crowdsourced tags: - audio - automatic-speech-recognition - text-to-speech configs: - config_name: ach_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/ach/ach-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/ach/ach-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/ach/ach-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/ach/ach-unlabeled-* - config_name: ach_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/ach/ach-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/ach/ach-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/ach/ach-test-* - config_name: aka_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/aka/aka-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/aka/aka-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/aka/aka-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/aka/aka-unlabeled-* - config_name: amh_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/amh/amh-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/amh/amh-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/amh/amh-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/amh/amh-unlabeled-* - config_name: dag_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/dag/dag-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/dag/dag-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/dag/dag-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/dag/dag-unlabeled-* - config_name: dga_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/dga/dga-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/dga/dga-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/dga/dga-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/dga/dga-unlabeled-* - config_name: ewe_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/ewe/ewe-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/ewe/ewe-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/ewe/ewe-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/ewe/ewe-unlabeled-* - config_name: fat_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/fat/fat-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/fat/fat-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/fat/fat-test-* - config_name: ful_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/ful/ful-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/ful/ful-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/ful/ful-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/ful/ful-unlabeled-* - config_name: ful_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/ful/ful-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/ful/ful-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/ful/ful-test-* - config_name: hau_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/hau/hau-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/hau/hau-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/hau/hau-test-* - config_name: ibo_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/ibo/ibo-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/ibo/ibo-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/ibo/ibo-test-* - config_name: kik_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/kik/kik-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/kik/kik-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/kik/kik-test-* - config_name: kpo_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/kpo/kpo-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/kpo/kpo-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/kpo/kpo-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/kpo/kpo-unlabeled-* - config_name: lin_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/lin/lin-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/lin/lin-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/lin/lin-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/lin/lin-unlabeled-* - config_name: lug_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/lug/lug-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/lug/lug-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/lug/lug-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/lug/lug-unlabeled-* - config_name: lug_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/lug/lug-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/lug/lug-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/lug/lug-test-* - config_name: luo_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/luo/luo-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/luo/luo-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/luo/luo-test-* - config_name: mas_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/mas/mas-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/mas/mas-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/mas/mas-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/mas/mas-unlabeled-* - config_name: mlg_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/mlg/mlg-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/mlg/mlg-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/mlg/mlg-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/mlg/mlg-unlabeled-* - config_name: nyn_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/nyn/nyn-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/nyn/nyn-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/nyn/nyn-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/nyn/nyn-unlabeled-* - config_name: nyn_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/nyn/nyn-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/nyn/nyn-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/nyn/nyn-test-* - config_name: orm_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/orm/orm-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/orm/orm-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/orm/orm-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/orm/orm-unlabeled-* - config_name: sid_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/sid/sid-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/sid/sid-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/sid/sid-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/sid/sid-unlabeled-* - config_name: sna_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/sna/sna-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/sna/sna-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/sna/sna-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/sna/sna-unlabeled-* - config_name: tir_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/tir/tir-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/tir/tir-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/tir/tir-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/tir/tir-unlabeled-* - config_name: sog_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/sog/sog-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/sog/sog-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/sog/sog-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/sog/sog-unlabeled-* - config_name: swa_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/swa/swa-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/swa/swa-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/swa/swa-test-* - config_name: twi_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/twi/twi-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/twi/twi-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/twi/twi-test-* - config_name: yor_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/yor/yor-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/yor/yor-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/yor/yor-test-* - config_name: wal_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/wal/wal-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/wal/wal-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/wal/wal-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/wal/wal-unlabeled-* dataset_info: - config_name: ach_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: ach_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: aka_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: dag_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: dga_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: ewe_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: fat_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: ful_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: ful_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: hau_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: ibo_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: kik_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: kpo_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: lin_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: lug_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: lug_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: luo_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: mas_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: mlg_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: nyn_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: nyn_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: sna_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: sog_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: swa_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: twi_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: yor_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio --- # Waxal Datasets The WAXAL dataset is a large-scale multilingual speech corpus for African languages, introduced in the paper [WAXAL: A Large-Scale Multilingual African Language Speech Corpus](https://huggingface.co/papers/2602.02734). ## Table of Contents - [Dataset Description](#dataset-description) - [ASR Dataset](#asr-dataset) - [TTS Dataset](#tts-dataset) - [How to Use](#how-to-use) - [Dataset Structure](#dataset-structure) - [ASR Data Fields](#asr-data-fields) - [TTS Data Fields](#tts-data-fields) - [Data Splits](#data-splits) - [Dataset Curation](#dataset-curation) - [Considerations for Using the Data](#considerations-for-using-the-data) - [Additional Information](#additional-information) - [Citation](#citation) ## Dataset Description The Waxal project provides datasets for both Automated Speech Recognition (ASR) and Text-to-Speech (TTS) for African languages. The goal of this dataset's creation and release is to facilitate research that improves the accuracy and fluency of speech and language technology for these underserved languages, and to serve as a repository for digital preservation. The Waxal datasets are collections acquired through partnerships with Makerere University, The University of Ghana, Digital Umuganda, and Media Trust. Acquisition was funded by Google and the Gates Foundation under an agreement to make the dataset openly accessible. ### ASR Dataset The Waxal ASR dataset is a collection of data in 19 African languages. It consists of approximately 1,250 hours of transcribed natural speech from a wide variety of voices. The 19 languages in this dataset represent over 100 million speakers across 40 Sub-Saharan African countries. Provider | Languages | License :------------------ | :--------------------------------------- | :------------: Makerere University | Acholi, Luganda, Masaaba, Nyankole, Soga | `CC-BY-SA-4.0` University of Ghana | Akan, Ewe, Dagbani, Dagaare, Ikposo | `CC-BY-4.0` Digital Umuganda | Fula, Lingala, Shona, Malagasy, Amharic, Oromo, Sidama, Tigrinya, Wolaytta | `CC-BY-SA-4.0` ### TTS Dataset The Waxal TTS dataset is a collection of text-to-speech data in 16 African languages. It consists of over 180 hours of high-quality, single-speaker recordings reading phonetically balanced scripts. Provider | Languages | License :------------------ | :----------------------------------- | :------------: Makerere University | Acholi, Luganda, Kiswahili, Nyankole | `CC-BY-SA-4.0` University of Ghana | Akan (Fante, Twi) | `CC-BY-4.0` Media Trust | Fula, Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba | `CC-BY-SA-4.0` Loud and Clear | Kikuyu, Luo | `CC-BY-SA-4.0` ### How to Use The `datasets` library allows you to load and pre-process your dataset in pure Python, at scale. First, ensure you have the necessary dependencies installed to handle audio data. You will need `ffmpeg` installed on your system. **Google Colab / Ubuntu** ```bash sudo apt-get install ffmpeg pip install datasets[audio] ``` **macOS** ```bash brew install ffmpeg pip install datasets[audio] ``` **Windows** Download and install from [ffmpeg.org](https://ffmpeg.org/download.html) and ensure it's in your PATH. ```bash pip install datasets[audio] ``` If you encounter `RuntimeError: Could not load libtorchcodec`, please ensure `ffmpeg` is correctly installed or check for compatibility between your `torch`, `torchaudio`, and `torchcodec` versions. **Loading ASR Data** To load ASR data for a specific language, specify the configuration name, e.g. `sna_asr` for Shona ASR data. ```python from datasets import load_dataset, Audio # Load Shona (sna) ASR dataset asr_data = load_dataset("google/WaxalNLP", "sna_asr") # Access splits train = asr_data['train'] val = asr_data['validation'] test = asr_data['test'] # Example: Accessing audio bytes and other fields example = train[0] print(f"Transcription: {example['transcription']}") print(f"Sampling Rate: {example['audio']['sampling_rate']}") # 'array' contains the decoded audio bytes as a numpy array print(f"Audio Array Shape: {example['audio']['array'].shape}") ``` **Loading TTS Data** To load TTS data for a specific language, specify the configuration name, e.g. `swa_tts` for Swahili TTS data. ```python from datasets import load_dataset # Load Swahili (swa) TTS dataset tts_data = load_dataset("google/WaxalNLP", "swa_tts") # Access splits train = tts_data['train'] ``` ## Dataset Structure ### ASR Data Fields ```python { 'id': 'sna_0', 'speaker_id': '...', 'audio': { 'array': [...], 'sample_rate': 16_000 }, 'transcription': '...', 'language': 'sna', 'gender': 'Female', } ``` * **id**: Unique identifier. * **speaker_id**: Unique identifier for the speaker. * **audio**: Audio data. * **transcription**: Transcription of the audio. * **language**: ISO 639-2 language code. * **gender**: Speaker gender ('Male', 'Female', or empty). ### TTS Data Fields ```python { 'id': 'swa_0', 'speaker_id': '...', 'audio': { 'array': [...], 'sample_rate': 16_000 }, 'text': '...', 'locale': 'swa', 'gender': 'Female', } ``` * **id**: Unique identifier. * **speaker_id**: Unique identifier for the speaker. * **audio**: Audio data. * **text**: Text script. * **locale**: ISO 639-2 language code. * **gender**: Speaker gender. ### Data Splits For the **ASR Dataset**, the data with transcriptions is split as follows: * **train**: 80% of labeled data. * **validation**: 10% of labeled data. * **test**: 10% of labeled data. The **unlabeled** split contains all samples that do not have a corresponding transcription. The **TTS Dataset** follows a similar structure, with data split into `train`, `validation`, and `test` sets. ## Dataset Curation The data was gathered by multiple partners: Provider | Dataset | License :------------------ | :------------------------------------------------------- | :------ University of Ghana | [UGSpeechData](https://doi.org/10.57760/sciencedb.22298) | `CC BY 4.0` Digital Umuganda | [AfriVoice](DigitalUmuganda/AfriVoice) | `CC-BY-SA 4.0` Makerere University | [Yogera Dataset](https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/BEROE0) | `CC-BY-SA 4.0` Media Trust | | `CC-BY-SA 4.0` ## Considerations for Using the Data Please check the license for the specific languages you are using, as they may differ between providers. **Affiliation:** Google Research ## Version and Maintenance - **Current Version:** 1.0.0 - **Last Updated:** 01/2026 ## Citation ```bibtex @article{waxal2026, title={WAXAL: A Large-Scale Multilingual African Language Speech Corpus}, author={Anonymous}, journal={arXiv preprint arXiv:2602.02734}, year={2026} } ```