The Africa Wiki Women On-Wiki Skills Mentorship Program is an initiative of Africa Wiki Women (AWW) that was created to address a long-standing challenge: the underrepresentation of African women in creating, shaping, and preserving online knowledge.
In August, the program launched its first cohort, a three-month learning journey that brought together 26 women from six African countries (Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, South Sudan, Burundi, Benin Republic, and Rwanda) alongside 12 dedicated mentors from Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Tanzania, and Ivory Coast. The mentees were trained on contributing to Wikipedia, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, as well as public speaking and community leadership.
On 1 December, 2025 fifteen participants graduated from the first cohort. The ceremony opened with remarks by the On-Wiki Skills Coordinator, Blessing Ojewuyi Timothy, who highlighted the purpose and achievements of the initiative. She emphasised how the mentorship was designed to demystify Wikimedia projects, strengthen women’s digital literacy, and inspire long-term participation in the free knowledge ecosystem.
Also, the Participants also shared their personal testimonies during the mentorship:
Voices from the Graduands
“I always thought that only special people could contribute to Wikimedia, even after joining the project two years ago. But now, I have been able to do a lot of things including uploading pictures, creating categories, and creating items on Wikidata.”
— Jossy Kazitatu, Graduate from DRC
“I had always been afraid of contributing to Wikimedia projects because of the fear of being blocked. Joining the mentorship was a turning point for me—I can now contribute freely and confidently. Through this mentorship, I created my first Wikipedia article.”
— Dawa Edina Hillary, Graduate from South Sudan
“For years, I waited for an opportunity to be mentored by an experienced editor. This program gave me exactly what I was looking for. Today, I confidently edit Wikipedia—I created my first article and made over 300 contributions during the mentorship.”
— Nadège Boco-Assogba, Graduate from Benin
During the ceremony, the guest speaker, Regine Njike, the leader of Wiki4Human Right Project, applauded the dedication of the mentors who committed their time, skills, and passion to support new editors. She also expressed gratitude to the founders of Africa Wiki Women, Ruby D Brown, Bukola James, and Peggy Njau for envisioning and developing an initiative that is transforming the landscape of African knowledge representation online. She also encouraged all graduates to remain active editors, continue improving their skills, and contribute to closing the gender and knowledge gaps across the Wikimedia platforms.
Lastly, the success of the first cohort highlights what becomes possible when African women are given the skills, support, and confidence to contribute meaningfully to open knowledge. As the programme prepares to welcome future cohorts, Africa Wiki Women remains committed to fostering a more inclusive, diverse, and equitable Wikimedia movement, one empowered contributor at a time. We encourage community members to stay connected and watch for upcoming opportunities through our Meta-Wiki page and social media platforms. The video recording of the graduation ceremony can be accessed below:
Can you help us translate this article?
In order for this article to reach as many people as possible we would like your help. Can you translate this article to get the message out?
Start translation