Code for Africa and the African Wikipedian Alliance at Wikimania 2025 : Mapping Climate Justice with Open Data

Wikimania’s 20th gathering in Nairobi (theme: Inclusivity. Impact. Sustainability.) was a powerful reminder that open knowledge builds stronger, fairer communities. Code for Africa (CfA) and the African Wikipedian Alliance (AWA) brought hands-on expertise and practical tools to the conversation, running a packed workshop on “Enhancing Climate Justice & Environmental Data Mapping through Open Knowledge.”

Workshop highlights: data, AI, sensors and climate justice

Led by Alicia Olago (Senior Product Manager, Sensors.Africa) and Eric Wamagu (Senior Programme Manager, Datalab), and supported on the ground by Marsha Aida (Deputy Senior Programme Manager, Communities) and Bukola James (AWA Community Coordinator), the workshop invited 35+ participants to:

• Explore the diversity of African climate ecosystems and the local impacts of rising temperatures.
• View historical temperature datasets from weather stations across Africa.
• See temperature forecasts produced by a CNN–LSTM deep-learning model and discuss how model effectiveness hinges on access to large, locally representative datasets.
• Experience Sensors.Africa up close, a live demo of air-quality monitoring and 24/7 noise-mapping tools, followed by a Q&A.

The session combined technical demonstrations with community discussions, focusing on the real-world implications of data availability for climate justice.

Pre-conference: UNEP visit and information integrity

Before the main conference, CfA and the Working Group on Climate Justice visited UNEP headquarters in Nairobi as part of Wikimania’s pre-conference activities. Marsha, Eric, and Alicia helped shape a focused conversation on information integrity and climate change, including:

• A closed strategy session with organisers of the Wiki for Human Rights campaign (Africa & Latin America).
• A UNEP panel on how mis/disinformation spreads (local languages, current events) and what Wikimedia can do to counter it.
• A walkthrough of UN information-integrity principles and how they align with Wikimedia practices.

These conversations strengthened ties between institutional partners and the Wikimedia community around trustworthy climate information.

AWA moments: fellows, photos and awards

AWA organised a photo session with the 2025 fellows present at Wikimania, a proud moment for our fellowship cohort. We were thrilled to celebrate Konan N’Da N’Dri (Digitalise Youth project), who won Newcomer of the Year, 2025. Congratulations to Konan and to all our fellows leading change across the continent.

CfA at the booth

Code for Africa showcased its products and services at the Wikimania booth, giving participants a chance to engage with tools that support data-driven storytelling and localised environmental monitoring.

Looking ahead

This work is about more than demos or workshops; it’s about building sustainable systems that amplify climate justice, inclusion, and locally grounded knowledge. By empowering African contributors with data, tools, and partnerships, we help ensure the continent’s stories are accurate, verified, and told by those who live them.

If you’d like to get involved, complete the AWA membership form for updates, and follow the AWA Fellowship report page for monthly progress and field stories.