Africa Wiki Women Left No Crumbs Behind

Africa Wiki Women pulled the numbers and the passion for the “Accelerating Action for Gender Equality 2025” Campaign, bringing together meaningful contributions on Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikicommons. Every edit was with a purpose. No vandalism. No fluff. Just quality.

The campaign, held in celebration of the International Women’s Day 2025, set out to amplify the contributions of African women in politics and journalism, an effort channeled towards bridging the gender gap. What began with a target of 50 participants ended up bringing together 167 people from across Africa, a powerful blend of experience editors, and newbies.

Campaign Activities featured a mix of virtual training sessions, an office hour, a virtual launch, and physical events in three African countries across the Western and Southern Africa regions in collaboration with Google Developer Group Gaborone, Open Knowledge Development Initiative, Women for Sustainability Africa, Fempire, Open Inclusive Initiative. The goal was to recruit 30 editors, but the response far surpassed expectations. A total of 166 editors contributed actively to the campaign. The number of organisers also doubled from 5 to 10 showing a growing interest in leadership and collaboration.

Participants brought in effort and results on Wikipedia that smash the initial target of improving 100 articles to 129 article translated into African languages like Hausa, Igbo, Setswana, Twi, Kinyarwanda, French, and Luganda. Contributing to preservation of African linguistic diversity. An additional 154 articles were expanded and improved on English Wikipedia and 1 new article created.

However, contributing on Wikimedia Commons pose a challenge, as photographers hit a wall finding quality images of African women Journalists and Politicians. Many of whom aren’t featured in mainstream media or widely photographed. To address this, a letter-headed document was issued to photographers, serving as official identification under the Wikimedia Foundation. This step opened doors and made it easier to gain access to photograph some of this women. As a result, 66 quality images were uploaded, exceeding the initial goal of 50.

Wikidata was not left behind. Initially planned as a 300-item goal, the results spoke louder. 50 new items were created, and 410 were improved creating structured entries that make African women more discoverable in digital data systems.

And then came the voices behind the contributions. Out of 167 participants, 166 actively contributed. Of those, 46 shared feedback 25 women and 21 men. Among them, 45.7% had prior editing experience, while 19.6% were complete newcomers who found their feet and during the campaign. The responses showed that 54.3% strongly believed the campaign addressed the gender gap. 73.8% rated the training sessions as excellent. When it came to keeping the fire alive, 77.7% suggested mentorship opportunities. Another 30% recommended monthly edit-a-thons.

The campaign made one thing clear: Underrepresentation of African Women is a challenge that exist. And partnership and strategic collaboration is a best foot forward for broader reach. Likewise, the inclusion incentives play a key role in pulling intentional contributors. Because, when people feel seen and supported, they show up and give their best. The quality of contributions improved, the rate of vandalism dropped, and participation became more consistent because at the end of the day no one leaves empty handed.

With the energy from this campaign still strong, Africa Wiki Women is looking ahead to building partnerships, expanding reach, and making sure the work doesn’t stop here. Because African women’s stories are not just worth telling, they’re worth telling right, and they’re worth telling now.