Reflecting on Wikidata’s 13th Birthday: Building Open Data Capacity in Crisis-Prone Communities of Northern Nigeria

Introduction

Leading the Wikidata Awareness and Knowledge Access in Crisis-Prone Communities of Northern Nigeria project has been a deeply rewarding experience for me. The project was implemented to mark Wikidata’s 13th Birthday, this project focused on Adamawa and Nasarawa States, combining virtual engagement with a physical training session both at Yola, Adamawa  and Keffi, Nasarawa States of  Northern part of Nigeria.

From the outset, my goal was clear: to help community members understand that open, structured data is not abstract or distant, but a practical tool that can support decision-making, service delivery, and resilience especially in communities that frequently face crises. This project was as much about people and confidence as it was about data.

Why This Project Mattered

Working within Northern Nigeria, I have seen how limited access to reliable, structured data affects planning, health delivery, and crisis response. Many critical infrastructures such as health facilities, schools, water points, and community services in these areas remain under-documented or poorly represented online.

This project was designed to bridge that gap by:

• Introducing Wikidata as a tool for documenting local realities
• Building hands-on skills for contributing and improving data
• Encouraging community ownership of local knowledge
• Connecting new contributors to the wider Wikimedia ecosystem

Activities and Implementation

Awareness and Sensitisation

I began the project with awareness sessions aimed at breaking down what Wikidata is and why it matters. Many participants were encountering Wikidata for the first time, so I focused on practical examples—how health facility data, educational institutions, and public services can be structured and reused.

These sessions helped participants see Wikidata not just as a Wikimedia project, but as a shared public infrastructure for knowledge.

Hands-on Wikidata Training

A major strength of the project was its emphasis on learning by doing. I guided participants through:

• Creating a Wikidata account and other accounts across Wikimedia projects
• Creating Wikidata items from scratch
• Adding statements with proper sourcing
• Translating labels and descriptions to improve accessibility

The in-person trainings in Yola and Keffi were particularly impactful, enabling real-time mentorship, peer learning, and deeper engagement. At the same time, virtual sessions ensured inclusive participation, allowing contributors from Adamawa and Nasarawa States to remain actively involved despite challenges affecting physical attendance.

Community Engagement

Throughout the project, I encouraged participants to contribute data that reflected their lived experiences and local environments. This approach helped shift mindsets—from seeing themselves as learners to recognizing themselves as knowledge contributors whose input matters globally.

Outcomes and Achievements

Across Adamawa and Nasarawa States, the project recorded strong participation and meaningful outputs:

• Over 2,400 engagements across awareness and training activities
• More than 60 participants trained, including students, health workers, researchers, and community leaders
• Hundreds of hands-on learning interactions during editing sessions
• Thousands of recorded activity outputs, including item creation, statement additions, and data improvements

Wikidata Awareness and Knowledge Access in Crisis-Prone in Adamawa State Outreach Dashboard

Wikidata Awareness and Knowledge Access in Crisis-Prone in Nasarawa State Outreach Dashboard

Beyond the numbers, one of the most important outcomes was the confidence participants gained. Many left the sessions knowing they could independently contribute to Wikidata and continue learning beyond the project.

What Worked Well

Several moments stood out to me:

• Seeing health workers understand how their daily knowledge could improve open health data
• Watching first-time editors make their initial Wikidata contributions
• Observing peer-to-peer support emerge naturally during training sessions
• Receiving feedback from participants who now see open data as relevant to their professional work

Challenges Encountered

The implementation phase of the project also came with notable challenges that shaped our delivery approach and required flexibility:

• Poor physical attendance due to academic calendars: The project timeline coincided with examination periods across many higher institutions in Nigeria. As a result, most students who formed a significant part of our target audience were unable to attend the planned physical sessions. To mitigate this, we adapted by engaging many of them virtually after their examinations, during the academic break.
• Nationwide health workers’ strike: During the period scheduled for physical implementation, health workers in Nigeria were on a nationwide indefinite strike. Many health professionals had travelled to their home states to observe the end-of-year break, which significantly reduced in-person participation from this group during the physical sessions.
• Connectivity and participation gaps: Internet access and inconsistent connectivity continued to affect participation during some virtual sessions, requiring repeated follow-ups and flexible facilitation approaches.

While these challenges affected physical turnout, they also pushed us to rethink engagement strategies and reinforced the importance of hybrid project designs.

Lessons Learned

The challenges encountered during implementation offered important lessons that will shape future Wikimedia and open data initiatives I lead.

1. Timing is critical. Aligning project implementation with academic calendars is essential when students are a core target group. Examination periods significantly limit physical participation, regardless of interest or motivation. Future projects must factor this in at the planning stage.
2. The experience reinforced the value of hybrid engagement models. While physical sessions remain important for deeper interaction, virtual formats proved effective in sustaining engagement when in-person participation was not feasible. The ability to pivot to virtual sessions after examinations ensured continuity and inclusiveness.
3. External sector-wide disruptions, such as the nationwide health workers’ strike significantly affected participation. This highlighted the need to diversify participant pools and avoid over-reliance on a single professional group during fixed implementation windows.
4. The project underscored the importance of flexible facilitation and continuous communication. Clear follow-ups, adaptable pacing, and participant-centred delivery helped maintain engagement despite connectivity challenges and scheduling constraints.

Risk Mitigation for Future Projects

Building on these lessons, future projects will incorporate proactive risk mitigation strategies, including early alignment with academic and professional calendars, buffer periods for physical engagements, and stronger emphasis on hybrid-first delivery models. Where possible, implementation timelines will remain flexible to accommodate unforeseen national events such as strikes or policy changes. These measures will help ensure sustained participation, reduce disruption, and strengthen overall project resilience.

Moving Forward with the Community

As the project concludes, my focus is on sustaining the momentum built during these engagements. Moving forward, I plan to:

• Stay connected with participants and support continued Wikidata contributions
• Encourage collaboration across Adamawa, Nasarawa, and neighboring states
• Strengthen local Wikimedia communities through mentorship and follow-up activities
• Explore future projects around health data, climate documentation, and crisis resilience

The relationships built during this project are just as important as the data created.

Conclusion

Leading the Wikidata Awareness and Knowledge Access in Crisis-Prone Communities project reaffirmed my belief in the power of open knowledge driven by local communities. Celebrating Wikidata’s 13th Birthday through this initiative was not just about marking a milestone, it was about investing in people, skills, and sustainable knowledge systems in Northern Nigeria.

I am grateful to all participants, collaborators, and the Wikimedia movement for the trust and support throughout this journey. The work continues, and I look forward to building on this foundation with the community at the center.