A Research Driven Blueprint for African Women in the Wikimedia Movement.

The Africa Wiki Women took a significant step toward addressing the underrepresentation of African women in the Wikimedia movement through the AWW Technical Research. A research designed to understand the challenges, map existing efforts, and provide a clearer picture of where African women representation stand and what needs to be done.

At the core of this research is an effort to strengthen organisational structures, create strategies that can support broader visibility, representation, and sustainability within the movement.

The research unfolded in two main phases. The first phase began with regional conversations for the Anglophone and Francophone communities. The Anglophone session brought together 77 participants, while the Francophone conversation engaged 86 participants. These conversations opened up a space for contributors to share their experiences, concerns, and suggestions.

This was followed by a structured survey, where community members voluntarily shared deeper insights based on their involvement in the movement. Afterward, focus group discussions were held starting with the Francophone group of 12 participants and then the Anglophone group with 11 participants. These discussions brought together Wikimedia gender advocates from across African countries, including Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinée Conakry, Madagascar, Mali, Senegal, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. They offered practical perspectives from their work in local communities.

Findings from the research made it clear that. There is a need to:

• Expand mentorship and leadership development programs tailored to women.
• improve access to resources,
• Raise awareness about existing opportunities,
• Build stronger regional collaborations.
• Addressing the social and technological barriers that limit participation

The second phase of the research which involves the mapping of Women-Focused Wikimedia Initiatives in Africa is designed to highlight existing efforts, track progress, reduce duplication of efforts, connect active groups working toward similar goals, and point out areas that are yet to be covered. So far, 17 African countries have been mapped. But the work is ongoing and this is where your contribution matters.

You can be part of this by exploring the current mapping data, identify women focused projects or groups in your country that are not yet listed, and update the table with relevant information.

If you’re involved in or aware of any women-focused Wikimedia initiative no matter the size your input can help us build a more accurate, connected, and inclusive ecosystem.