As a group we researched the impact of finite state machines(FSM) on natural  language processing(NLP). Based on the knowledge acquired from our survey, the aim was to present a problem localized to Africa to which FSMs can be applied either as a complete solution, or as  part of a solution. We discovered that NLP and FSMs can be used in many areas, especially as computational power advances in the future, to enable the implementation of more ways for African languages to be catered for in our future smartphones, applications, and software. An example of this would  be a spell checker that supports African languages.