From Learning to Leading: The Africa Wiki Women Mentorship & Fellowship Program Graduation

The journey from learning to leadership is never linear, it is one shaped by courage, collaboration, and a commitment to make a difference. The Africa Wiki Women Mentorship and Fellowship Program embodies this spirit, and as it celebrates the graduation of its second cohort.

The African Wiki Women Mentorship and Fellowship Programme was born out of a vision to close the gender gap on Wikipedia and its sister projects and over the years, it has become a safe, empowering, and inclusive space for African women to learn, lead, and tell their stories. Through mentorship, capacity-building, and community engagement, the program equips women with the tools and confidence to amplify African narratives on a global scale.

Over the past 6 months, the 2025 fellows have undergone a transformative journey, learning about Wikipedia editing, leadership development and public speaking. They have participated in diverse activities such as Skill-Up workshops, podcast storytelling, and themed edit-a-thons. Each fellow has emerged not only with new skills but also with renewed sense of purpose and to confidently use open knowledge as a catalyst for equality and representation.

During the graduation, the fellows were given the chance to narrate their experiences and they recounted worthwhile experiences that have changed their digital and personal life completely. 

…before, I was unable to use google sheets, docs or powerpoint but today I am not only using it in the open knowledge space but I am also using it for my personal life: at work, to arrange my scholarship applications for more opportunities… Sharron Atyang, 2025 Cohort. 

The event also spotlighted the dedicated mentors, Bukola James, Ruby Damenshie Brown, and Pellagia Njau who have guided the activities of the Heads of Departments and fellows throughout the programme. In Ruby’s remark she congratulated the fellows and expressed appreciation to the Heads of Departments for their outstanding contributions. She encouraged the graduates to sustain the passion and dedication they have demonstrated over the past six months, both within and beyond the Wikimedia movement: a commitment that earned them the Africa Wiki Women Leadership and Fellowship Meritorious Certificate.

Lastly, the guest speaker of the event, Jael Serwaa Boateng, the executive director of Open Foundation West Africa appreciated the intense patience and the commitment of the fellows to have succeeded the 6 months fellowship. She also appreciated the efforts of the co-founders; Bukola James, Ruby Damenshie Brown and Pellagia Njau, whose influence have mentored hundreds of women in Africa and motivated the fellows to keep on winning!