Africa Wiki Challenge Presents; Africa Day 2023 Campaign! Theme: Africa Continental Free Trade. Bridging the Africa Content Gap, One Article at a Time!

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Are you tired of seeing African narratives misrepresented or underrepresented on global digital knowledge networks? Do you want to be part of the solution and make a meaningful contribution to bridging the content gap? Then join us for the Africa Day Campaign 2023 from  May- June Themed ‘The African Continental Free Trade’ inline with the Africa Union (AU) Theme of the Year 2023!

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, which was launched in 2019, presents a unique opportunity for Africa to boost intra-regional trade, create jobs, and drive economic growth. However, its implementation faces various challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, non-tariff barriers, and low levels of industrialization. The 2023 Africa Union-them ‘Africa Continental Free Trade’ seeks to generate greater political commitment in the trade as a developmental Agenda for Africa.

By documenting Africa’s stories during the Africa Day Campaign, we can shed light on these challenges which then increases the visibility of this knowledge and encourages stakeholders to work together toward addressing them. We can also highlight the benefits of free trade, such as increased access to markets, enhanced competitiveness, and the creation of new opportunities for entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Additionally, by promoting the achievements of African entrepreneurs and innovators on the web, we can inspire the next generation of business leaders and innovators to seize the opportunities presented by the AfCFTA. By creating more inclusive and representative digital knowledge networks, we can ensure that young Africans have access to accurate and diverse information about the benefits of free trade and how they can participate in it.

Who can join?

We can’t do it alone. We need your help to create and improve content about Africa in relation to the campaign theme on Wikipedia and other Wikimedia platforms. Whether you’re an affiliate, usergroup, organization, Institution, student, professional, campaign organizer, or just someone passionate about African knowledge and narratives, you can make a difference. Here are a few ways you can participate:

  • Join the one-month intensive continent-wide Africa Day Writing contest from May 20th May to 20th June 20223 to create, improve or translate existing articles around the topic. Register and also sign up for the contest by signing on to the Africa Day Writing Contest Campaign Dashboard. Visit the campaign meta page Learn more about how to participate in the contest. 
  • Organize an event eg; edit-a-thon, translate-a-thon, or local writing contest, in your community. If you are organizing an event please create your dashboard on the event on the Africa Day Program dashboard and add your event to the event table on the meta page.

By participating in the Africa Wiki Challenge, you’ll not only contribute to bridging the content gap but also be part of a community that values African knowledge and narratives. 

Join the Launch Event

Register to join the Africa Day Campaign Launch Event on Thursday, May 18th 16:00 UTC to hear from Amazing speakers who will share insight around the topic and learn more about the campaign. There will be live interpreters for French, Swahili and Arabic

What?

The Africa Day campaign is one of the initiatives of the Africa Knowledge Initiative (AKI) project, an initiative birthed out of a partnership between the Wikimedia Foundation, the African Union, and Africa No Filter. Open Foundation is honored to be the Implementing partner for the Africa Day Campaign for 2023. Read more about the AKI here.

Join us in the Africa Wiki Challenge and help bridge the content gap, one story at a time!

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn for more updates, or Join the AWC Telegram channel for more engagements.

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