Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/General Support Fund/Consolidating WISCom's efforts around Pan-African Hub formation, Africa Agenda, and implementing learnings from WikiIndaba 2025 and planning WikiIndaba 2026

statusUnder review

Wikimedia Community Fund

Consolidating WISCom's efforts around Pan-African Hub formation, Africa Agenda, and implementing learnings from WikiIndaba 2025 and planning WikiIndaba 2026

Fluxx IDR-GS-2509-20249

start date2025-09-01

end date2026-08-31

budget (local currency)2375495.22 ZAR

amount requested (USD)127967.93 USD

grant typeWikimedia Affiliate (chapter, thematic org., or user group)

funding regionSSA

decision fiscal year2025-26

funding program roundRound 1

organization (if applicable)Wiki Indaba Steering Committee

Friendly Space Policy

Universal Code of Conduct

Application Privacy Statement

This is an automatically generated Meta-Wiki page. The page was copied from Fluxx, the web service of Wikimedia Foundation Funds, where the user has submitted their application. Please do not make any changes to this page because all changes will be removed after the next update. Use the discussion page for your feedback. The page was created by CR-FluxxBot.

Applicant information

Organization name or Wikimedia Username for individuals. (required)

Wiki Indaba Steering Committee

Do you have any approved General Support Fund requests? (required)

No, it is my first time applying for a General Support Fund

You are applying as a(n). (required)

Wikimedia Affiliate (chapter, thematic org., or user group)

Are your group or organization legally registered in your country? (required)

No

Do you have a fiscal sponsor?

Yes

Fiscal organization name.

Wikimedia ZA

Please provide links to the following documents if they are available

These documentation can be provided in your local language(s), no translations required.

• Organizational website
• Detailed financial reporting and/or audits
• Documentation of the governance structure, board list, governance processes
• Documentation of the general assembly decision on your plan

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wiki_Indaba_Steering_Committee

Main proposal

1. Please state the title of your proposal. This will also be a title for the Meta-Wiki page. (required)

Consolidating WISCom's efforts around Pan-African Hub formation, Africa Agenda, and implementing learnings from WikiIndaba 2025 and planning WikiIndaba 2026

2. Do you want to apply for the multi-year base funding for 3 years? (required) (only for returning applicants)

N/A

2.1. Provide a brief overview of Year 2 and Year 3 of the proposed plan and how this relates to the current proposal and your strategic plan? (required)

N/A

3. Proposed start date. (required)

2025-09-01

4. Proposed end date. (required)

2026-08-31

5. Does your organization or group have an Affiliate or Organizational Annual Plan that can help us understand your proposal? If yes, please provide it. (required)

Yes

(https://docs.google.com/document/d/130lSWuj1iTEcN2QkJrWMl4wCQPF_Xo1m8K4sgiVT0rc/edit?usp=sharing)

6. Does your affiliate, organization or group have a Strategic Plan that can help us understand your proposal? If yes, please provide it. (required)

Yes

(https://docs.google.com/document/d/130lSWuj1iTEcN2QkJrWMl4wCQPF_Xo1m8K4sgiVT0rc/edit?usp=sharing)

7. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)

Regional (more than one country in the same continent or region)

African continent.

8. What are your programs, approaches, and strategies? What are the challenges that you are trying to address and how will your strategies support you in addressing these challenges? (required)

Lack of Capacity in community organizing, management and sustainability Communication training

WISCom is the current custodian of the Africa Agenda which aims to solve the problems Africans are having in the Wikimedia space. Through the Afrika Baraza session, we were able to determine capacity building for community facilitators as the phase of what the community wants to address. Through the Afrika Baraza working group, we came up with an idea to source resource persons from Wikimedia Foundation for the various Communication training modules since our niche is a special one. The Communications training started in July 2025, and is to end in August 2025.

Fundraising and partnerships training

As WISCom, we have seen firsthand how community growth in Africa has fared over the years, and how community resources may not be enough for all the amazing works we see from time to time in various African Wikimedia communities. We have also learnt that most of the African communities would be able to raise their own funds and build strategic partnerships if only they are trained on how to go about these. Through experienced people in the movement, WISCom will be organizing training on Fundraising and Partnerships for organized Wikimedia communities and affiliates in Africa to help them seek funds outside of Wikimedia Foundation and secure strategic partners for their various initiatives.

Project management training

The community growth in Africa has been fast, but we cannot say the same for the community organizers in Africa. This shortage of community organizers has been linked to lack of the necessary skills in project management. WISCom plans to put out a call for experienced project managers within the movement who will work with WISCom to curate a very rich project management training that will benefit each of the communities on the African continent. The participants will be mentored on grant writing and will be supported to run a project through a rapid grant as a means to measure success.

Fiscal sponsorship relations training

What should be considered when looking for a fiscal sponsor? Who is an ideal fiscal sponsor? How can a community build and maintain good relations with a fiscal sponsor? These are questions that many African communities, both affiliates and organized communities are yet to unpack. WISCom has benefited from an experienced fiscal sponsor, and is making plans to train African affiliates and organized communities in partnership with Wikimedia ZA.

Programs and event management training

WISCom through its many years of organizing the WikiIndaba conference intends to roll out program coordination and events management training for the African community. This aims to call on subject matter experts in programs and events management within the movement, including experienced WISCom members to join us in curating capacity building resources on programs and events management within the Wikimedia movement

Poor community consultation on Hub conversation Many members of the African community are not in the loop when it comes to hub conversations in the Wikimedia space, including the hub conversations in Africa.

WISCom will be organizing community consultations, to educate African community members on hubs, and the process taken so far when it comes to the Pan-African hub initiative. The consultations will include inviting African community members to review the pan-African hub framework draft, with the aim of having it adopted at WikiIndaba 2025 in Tanzania.

How does WISCom strategize, review past year and plan for the next?

The annual WISCom retreat is a strategy retreat for WISCom members where we have the opportunity to review the previous year’s activities, and plan for the following year. As the body responsible for implementing the WikiIndaba conference among other things, WISCom is also responsible for following up and acting on community related issues raised at the conference to achieve solutions. The 2025 retreat gives WISCom the opportunity to review the period between the 2024 and the 2025 conferences, what has changed in the way we planned the 2025 conference and the future of WikiIndaba. The retreat is an opportunity to ensure everything for the WikiIndaba 2025 conference is set before the conference starts. It will also be our brainstorming ground for working out details around our 2025/2026 General Support Fund.

How do we promote community, projects and work on Africa Agenda?

The African community has only WikiIndaba as the Africa-themed conference, and had make commitment during the WikiIndaba 2024 in Johannesburg, to not only use the WikiIndaba conference as a mere conference to share project updates, but also an avenue to work on the problems listed on the Africa Agenda and find solutions for them. This started with the inculcation of hack-a-thon to the WikiIndaba program, as Africans are always not represented in the global Wikimedia hack-a-thons.

WISCom will be following up on deliberations and action plans around issues that emanate from the WikiIndaba 2025 conference, consulting the necessary stakeholders and WMF teams to ensure that such issues are resolved before the WikiIndaba 2026. We will follow up with the 2025 post-conference survey to gain insight from the conference participants, and ensure that a detailed conference grant report on the WikiIndaba 2025 is submitted in due time.

Also, the journey for WikiIndaba 2026 starts immediately after the 2025 conference ends. The conference will be conceptualized based on the community engagement survey that will be launched in December 2025, and will be a step further into working the problems as outlined on the Africa Agenda. This will be followed by the drafting and submission of the WikiIndaba 2026 conference grant application, announcement of the conference theme, announcement of organizing team, call for scholarships and program submissions, selection of successful applicants, etc. We plan to ensure progressive continuity between 2025 and 2026 WikiIndaba conferences. Absence of African representation in global events

Africans have always suffered negligence when it comes to participation at global conferences, due to visa rejections, but largely due to poor support to African scholars by the conference organizing teams when the conference is outside Africa. As the oldest pan-African body, WISCom’s presence at the global Wikimedia events would ensure that we as a movement are constantly reminded of the diversity that exists when it comes to visa policies that could impact participation of African scholars. It would also ensure that Africans participate in strategic and governance related conversations that take place at these events, as regular African Wikimedians may find them not to be their cup of tea, as WISCom is experienced in engaging in such conversations and ensure that African communities are communicated accordingly.

Who mediates conflict in the absence of a Pan-African hub?

Anywhere humans are involved, there is bound to be conflict from time to time, not to mention in a multicultural community like the one we have in Africa. Conflict resolution has by default been part of the work done by WISCom, as the oldest pan-African body in the African Wikimedia community. WISCom plans to mediate efficiently any conflict brought to its notice by any member of the African Wikimedia community, either as an individual or a community, affiliated or not.

We anticipate at least one of such conflicts every year, which always require a series of adhoc meetings by WISCom in order to consult the parties involved separately, share findings and make recommendations towards a resolution.

Where do Africans converge outside WikiIndaba?

WikiIndaba happens to be the only African themed conference where Africans get the opportunity to discuss projects and get updates. This gave birth to Afrika Baraza as conceptualized by Movement Communications team and WISCom, to give African Wikimedia community members more opportunity to discuss, get updates and interface with global trends within the Wikimedia movement. WISCom plans to host at least one Afrika Baraza session every quarter to enable African community stakeholders to meet outside the WikiIndaba conference arrangement as we work to keep our community informed of the happenings in the community and also provide them a platform where they bring issues to our notice as we strategize on m=way to resolve them.

9. What categories are your main programs and related activities under? Please select all that apply. (required)

Category	Yes/No
Education	No
Culture, heritage or GLAM	No
Gender and diversity	No
Community support and engagement	Yes
Participation in campaigns and contests	No
Public policy advocacy	Yes
Other	Yes

Community support and engagement

9.4. Select all your programs and activities for Community support and engagement.

Off-wiki training of community members, Organizing meetups, conferences, and community events, Supporting community members' participation in events and conferences, Offering non financial support and services to community members (equipment, space, books, etc.)

Other programs and activities if any: N/A

Public policy advocacy

9.6.1. What specific laws, or legislative topics, are you targeting with your advocacy plans? Please be as specific as possible. (required)

Access to the internet is a fundamental digital human right in this age and time, a law we understand could vary from country to country. According to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in 2021, only 33 percent of Africa's population uses the internet. This means that approximately 871 million people are unable to benefit from digital advantages. Moreover, the monthly cost of a fixed broadband connection in Africa is 36.6 percent of the gross national income, compared to 14.5 percent globally. The accessibility and affordability of the Internet in Africa undermines the sustainability of our communities. This is contained under the “Community and Ecosystem development” need of the Africa Agenda. As the custodian of the Africa Agenda, WISCom wishes to start exploring the available means in advocating for internet access in the region, starting with locations where we have communities.

9.6.2. What are the main methods and tactics via which you plan to advocate for this public policy change? Please be as specific as possible. (required)

WISCom plans to map the African Wikimedia community, learn about the costs of internet connection in various countries, reach out to government institutions responsible for Internet Service Providers and understand how the pricing works. We will try to have these factors compared to minimum wage in these locations to ensure that global best practices are adhered to in the pricing. We plan to print the Africa Agenda as a brochure to make it handy, produce some branded materials, and collaborate with organizations championing internet access.

9.6.3. Approximately, how much of the requested budget will you dedicate to public policy advocacy (local currency)?

354178 ZAR

Other categories

Conflict management and capacity building.

10. Please include a link to or upload a timeline (operational calendar) for your programs and activities. (required)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/130lSWuj1iTEcN2QkJrWMl4wCQPF_Xo1m8K4sgiVT0rc/edit?usp=sharing

11. Describe your team. (required)

Ceslause Ogbonnaya: Ceslause Ogbonnaya (User:Ceslause) is the WISCom Executive Coordinator. He takes lead on WISCom programs while supported by WISCom members who are volunteers.

Bobby Shabangu: Bobby Shabangu (User:Bobbyshabangu) serves as chair of the WikiIndaba Steering Committee (WISCom). He has also served on the board of Wikimedia ZA. As WIScom chair, he co-founded Afrika Baraza, a platform for Africans to connect, collaborate, and share skills across the continent. He has actively participated in the development and implementation of the movement strategy 2030 especially in the African continent through facilitating the Movement Strategy Salons.

Jael Boateng: Jael Boateng (User:Jael28) represents Ghana on WISCom. She is currently the Executive Director of Open Foundation West Africa. With a strong background in Management and Human Resource Strategy, her experience comes in the various WISCom programs, as they are all community-focused.

Youssef Ben Haj Yahia represents Tunisia on WISCom. As a former member in Carthagina Organization, and MedinaPedia Project, he brings unique knowledge on how WISCom should plan its projects to have the best impact on the community.

Please see link here: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wiki_Indaba_Steering_Committee

12. Will you be working with any internal (Wikimedia) or external partners? Describe the characteristics of these partnerships and bring a few examples of the most significant partnerships. (required)

EARTH hub, West Africa Hub, Great Lakes Hub, Central Africa Hub, Africa Wiki Women and other Africa Wikimedia communities.

13. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select all that apply. (required)

Increase the Sustainability of Our Movement, Improve User Experience, Provide for Safety and Inclusion, Ensure Equity in Decision-making, Coordinate Across Stakeholders, Invest in Skills and Leadership Development, Manage Internal Knowledge, Evaluate, Iterate, and Adapt

Metrics

Wikimedia Metrics

14. Please select and fill out Wikimedia Metrics for your proposal. (recommended)

14.1. Number of participants, editors, and organizers.

All metrics provided are optional, please fill them out if they are aligned with your programs and activities.

Participants, editors, and organizers

Metrics name	Target	Description
Number of all participants	636	Communication training: 36 participants with sub-regional representation Fundraising and partnerships training: 36 participants with sub-regional representation Program and event management training: 36 participants with sub-regional representation Project management training: 36 participants with sub-regional representation Fiscal sponsorship relations training: 36 participants with sub-regional representation Afrika Baraza: 50 participants per session (Total of 200 participants per year) WikiIndaba 2025: 100 participants (Both online and in-person) WikiIndaba 2026: 120 participants (Both online and in-person) Internet access advocacy workshop: 36 participants with sub-regional representation
Number of all editors	N/A	N/A
Number of new editors	N/A
Number of retained editors	N/A
Number of all organizers	N/A	N/A
Number of new organizers	N/A

14.2. Number of new content contributions to Wikimedia projects. (recommended)

Contributions to Wikimedia projects

Wikimedia project	Created	Edited or improved
Wikipedia
Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata
Wiktionary
Wikisource
Wikimedia Incubator
Translatewiki
MediaWiki
Wikiquote
Wikivoyage
Wikibooks
Wikiversity
Wikinews
Wikispecies
Wikifunctions / Abstract Wikipedia

Description for Wikimedia projects contributions metrics. (optional)

Other Metrics

15. Do you have other quantitative and qualitative targets for your project (other metrics)? (required)

Yes

Other Metrics	Description	Target
N/A	See to an over 50% satisfaction rating of WikiIndaba 2025 by attendees through the post-conference survey	N/A
N/A	Plan, support and advice on WikiIndaba 2026 to ensure at least a 60% satisfaction rate from participants.	N/A
N/A	Organize at least 4 community consultation sessions for pan-African hub framework	N/A
N/A	Organize one Afrika Baraza session per quarter for the next one year	N/A
N/A	Plan and implement at least one Africa Agenda phase 1 capacity building element	N/A

Budget

16. Will you have any other revenue sources when implementing this proposal (e.g. other funding, membership contributions, donations)? (required)

No

16.1. List other revenue sources. (required)

N/A

16.2. Approximately how much revenue will you have from other sources in your local currency? (required)

N/A

17. Your local currency. (required)

ZAR

18. What is the total requested amount in your local currency? (required)

2375495.22 ZAR

Multi-year funding request summary

Year	Amount (local currency)
Year 1	N/A ZAR
Year 2	N/A ZAR
Year 3	N/A ZAR

Requested amount in USD

127967.93 USD

Multi-year funding request summary in USD

Year	Amount USD
Year 1	N/A USD
Year 2	N/A USD
Year 3	N/A USD

19. Does this proposal include compensation for staff or contractors? (required)

Yes

19.1. How many paid staff members do you plan to have? (required)

Include the number of staff and contractors during the proposal period. If you have short-term contractors or staff, please include them separately and mention their terms.

We have one employee - Ceslause Ogbonnaya who is the Executive Coordinator to WISCom.

19.2. How many FTEs (full-time equivalents) in total? (required)

Include the total FTE of staff and contractors during the proposal period. If you have short-term contractors or staff, please include their FTEs with the terms separately.

One - Cesluase

19.3. Describe any staff or contractor changes compared to the current year / ongoing General Support Fund if any. (required only for returning grantees)

N/A

20. Please provide an overview of your overall budget categories in your local currency. The budget breakdown should include only the amount requested with this General Support Fund (required).

Budget category	Amount in local currency
Staff and contractor costs	408903.7 ZAR
Operational costs	476040.12 ZAR
Programmatic costs	1490551.4 ZAR

21. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it. (required)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PLxuwmsnZZNSHlGm7A-seFOh3j-OhLGo/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=110601442515316039954&rtpof=true&sd=true

Additional information

22. In this optional space you can add any other additional information about your proposal or organization that you think can help us when reviewing your proposal. (optional)

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By submitting your proposal/funding request you agree that you are in agreement with the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and the Universal Code of Conduct.

We/I have read the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.

Yes

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