Wiki Loves Academics, WUGN Kaduna

In May 2025, the WUGN Kaduna Network focused on enhancing members’ skills in Wikidata editing through structured activities. These included online training sessions, a physical meetup, and a concluding session, all aimed at improving the representation of academics from Kaduna State on Wikidata. The Wiki Loves Academics campaign was central to these efforts, emphasizing the creation and enhancement of Wikidata items for local scholars. However, Local Scholars that has contribute to academic knowledge and reaching the rank of Phd and professor. this project was led by WUGN Kaduna Network team (Inyor4mr, Friday Musa, Halima Waziri and Zaianb Z. Muazu) to achieved the set goal we had two online sessions and a physical meet – up session.

Onboarding online Training Sessions, 10th May, 2025  

on 10th May, 2025 was the onboarding session which was moderated by Halima Waziri and she introduce the facilitators for the day as Ramatu Haliru, and Friday Musa. the Focus session was how to join the campaign dashboard by Ramatu Haliru while Mr. Friday Musa trained Participants introduction on Wikidata editing, including creating new items, adding statements, and referencing. Emphasis was placed on documenting academics from Kaduna State, particularly those with doctoral degrees and professorial titles.

Physical Meetup and Edit-a-thon on 28th May, 2025  

 The physical meetup hosted at Kaduna Polytechnic, Isah Kaita Library ICT. The meetup provided hands-on training in Wikidata editing. Participants collaborated to create and improve items related to local academics, fostering peer learning and networking during the sessions.

Concluding Online Session on 28th May 2025  

This session served as a wrap-up for the month’s activities. Participants shared their experiences, challenges faced, and suggestions for future campaigns. The session also highlighted top contributors and their achievements. with 32 participants 120 wikidata were created about lecturers in Northern – Nigeria particularly Kaduna state.

Key Learnings

1. Enhanced Wikidata Skills: Members gained practical experience in creating and editing Wikidata items, improving their digital literacy.

2. Increased Awareness: The campaign highlighted the importance of documenting local academics, contributing to the global visibility of Nigerian scholars.

3. Community Engagement: The activities fostered a sense of community among participants, encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Challenges

1. Internet Connectivity: Unstable internet connections hindered participation in online sessions for some members.

2. This Campaign give us a better understanding of the academics knowledge gaps in terms of their representation on wikidata and wikipedia is very low.

Conclusion

The WUGN Kaduna Network’s activities in May 2025 successfully enhanced members’ skills in Wikidata editing and contributed to the documentation of local academics. Despite challenges, the community remained committed, demonstrating the potential for continued growth and impact in future initiatives. we finally, recommended that campaign on documentation of scholars in Northern – Nigeria should be give more priority.

For more Information: contact us on wikimediakadunanetwork@gmail.con or ramatu4me@gmail.com