From 4 to 8 February 2026, I Abubakar Ali (Gwanki) president Wikimedia User Group Nigeria-Kano Network, attended the Wikimedia_User_Group_Nigeria Staff and Community Leaders Retreat at the organization’s office in Lagos. The retreat brought together staff and community leaders to reflect, share experiences, and plan for the future of the movement in Nigeria.
I was particularly impressed by the level of respect and collaboration shown by the staff toward community leaders. The atmosphere encouraged open dialogue and partnership, reinforcing the idea that we are all working together toward a common goal. As the President of Wikimedia User Group Nigeria-Kano Network, I represented my community and presented a report on our 2025 activities, as well as our plans for 2026. It was an opportunity to highlight our achievements and outline our vision for continued growth.
The retreat was highly educative a space to learn, unlearn, connect, and reflect. I returned to Kano inspired, energized, and more committed to strengthening our community and advancing free knowledge in Nigeria.
Reflecting on 2025, Preparing for 2026
As President of Wikimedia User Group Nigeria Kano Network, I am proud of the progress our community made throughout 2025. It was a year marked by consistent engagement, capacity building, and measurable impact. Our members created more than 1,000 new articles and improved over 2,000 others across Wikimedia projects. Together, we made more than 19,000 edits, added over 50,000 references to strengthen reliability, and contributed more than 6.5 million words of knowledge. Our work also included uploading over 1,700 media files to Wikimedia Commons, while maintaining 21 active editors who contributed consistently throughout the year. With over 3.5 million article views, the content produced by our community reached readers globally. Beyond the numbers, we organized trainings, edit-a-thons, and community activities that strengthened Hausa language content and amplified local knowledge from Northern Nigeria.
Looking ahead to 2026, our focus is on deepening skills and expanding participation in Wikimedia projects where our community has had limited exposure. While Wikipedia remains our main focus, we plan to prioritize capacity building in Wikidata, Wikivoyage, and Wikimedia Commons. We aim to organize targeted trainings and practical sessions that build confidence in structured data, travel-related content, and media documentation. We also plan to collaborate with institutions such as Gidan Makama Museum and Gidan Dan Hausa Cultural Center to support cultural heritage documentation and tourism-related knowledge. Additionally, we intend to expand engagement with educational institutions, improve activity documentation, strengthen contributor retention, and ensure more consistent impact tracking. Our goal for 2026 is not only growth in numbers, but growth in diversity of skills, sustainability, and long-term community strength.
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