Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Wiki Afrodemics Mentorship Program Cohort 2 (ID: 23741892)
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Applicant Details
[edit]- Main Wikimedia username. (required)
Ibjaja055
- Organization
N/A
- If you are a group or organization leader, board member, president, executive director, or staff member at any Wikimedia group, affiliate, or Wikimedia Foundation, you are required to self-identify and present all roles. (required)
N/A
- Describe all relevant roles with the name of the group or organization and description of the role. (required)
Main Proposal
[edit]- 1. Please state the title of your proposal. This will also be the Meta-Wiki page title.
Wiki Afrodemics Mentorship Program Cohort 2
- 2. and 3. Proposed start and end dates for the proposal.
2026-06-01 - 2026-11-01
- 4. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)
Regional (more than one country in the same continent or region) With the data pulled from our quarterly updated Statistical metapage, the following countries are among the lowest countries with contents on both wikidata and Wikipedia and we would be priortising them; Chad (2 academics), Republic of Congo (10 Academics), DR Congo (8 academics) ( Eritrea (1 academics), Seychelles (0 academics), Malawi (11 academics), Lesotho (0 Academics), Namibia (7 academics without a single female) South Sudan (4 academics and scientists) and Tanzania.You can read more from our statistical metapage
- 5. Are your activities part of a Wikimedia movement campaign, project, or event? If so, please select the relevant project or campaign. (required)
Other (please specify) Content gaps, mentorship and trainings
- 6. What is the change you are trying to bring? What are the main challenges or problems you are trying to solve? Describe this change or challenges, as well as main approaches to achieve it. (required)
The Wiki Afrodemics Mentorship Programme Cohort 2 is implemented under the Wiki Afrodemics Project, a pan-African Wikimedia initiative focused on improving the quality, coverage, and equity of content related to African scholars and scientists across Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Wikimedia Commons.
Over the last three years, the Wiki Afrodemics Project has demonstrated sustained impact at the national level in Nigeria through two flagship initiatives: Wiki Loves Afrodemics 2023 and Wiki Loves Afrodemics 2025. These programs significantly increased the number of documented Nigerian academics and scientists, strengthened editor capacity, and contributed to improved data quality on Wikidata and article depth on Wikipedia.
Data collected during Cohort 1 identified countries such as Chad, Republic of the Congo, and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) as having particularly low representation of scholars and scientists across Wikimedia projects. This gap is driven not by a lack of notable academics, but by limited access to language-inclusive mentorship, structured training, and sustained community support.
Data from ' quarterly statistical database, which monitors the representation of academics and scientists across 57 African countries, reveals pronounced and persistent disparities in content coverage. Nigeria currently leads in documentation, with 1,627 academics and scientists recorded on Wikidata, of whom 481 have corresponding Wikipedia articles.
In contrast, a significant number of West African countries, including Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Togo, each have fewer than ten documented academics, with women accounting for fewer than five entries in most cases. Comparable patterns of underrepresentation and gender imbalance are also evident across East, Central, and Northern Africa, with the gaps being particularly pronounced in Francophone regions, further underscoring the scale and systemic nature of the content inequity.
Therefore, the Wiki Afrodemics Mentorship Programme – Cohort 2 is closely aligned with the Wikimedia Foundation’s strategic priorities, particularly its commitment to advancing knowledge equity across global Wikimedia projects. The program intentionally engage editors from underrepresented African countries and integrating both Francophone and Anglophone participants, the programme will also support communities that have historically faced barriers to participation and further contributes to the expansion of linguistic and regional diversity within the Wikimedia movement while prioritising the development of sustainable, community-led capacity through mentorship, leadership development, and long-term editor retention.
Approaches
1. Call for Applications and Integration of Selected Cohort 1 Participants: An open call for applications will be widely disseminated through Wikimedia User Group WhatsApp channels and the project’s social media platforms. The call will specifically encourage applications from underrepresented countries and communities, while also allowing for the strategic integration of a limited number of high-performing participants from Cohort 1 to strengthen peer learning and continuity.
2. Onboarding of Participants: A total of 30 participants will be onboarded from both Anglophone and Francophone communities, with priority given to individuals from countries with limited representation of African academics and scientists on Wikimedia platforms. The onboarding process will introduce participants to Wikimedia projects, the objectives of the mentorship programme, and clear expectations regarding participation, collaboration, and deliverables.
3. Mentorship Phase: The mentorship phase will run over a structured three-month period. Each facilitator will mentor 10 participants per month, rotating across cohorts to ensure exposure to diverse skills, perspectives, and editing approaches. In addition, one dedicated month will focus on resource mobilisation, community sustainability, and project design within the Wikimedia ecosystem, equipping participants with skills beyond content creation.
4. Guided Edit-a-thon: Participants will take part in a three-month guided edit-a-thon, during which they will create and improve high-quality content on African scholars and scientists across Wikipedia and Wikidata. This phase will emphasize both quantitative output (new and improved entries) and qualitative standards, including notability, sourcing, and structured data completeness.
5. Final Presentation and Showcase: In the final month of the programme, participants will deliver mini-presentations showcasing their learning outcomes, individual contributions, and proposed community-based initiatives. These presentations will serve as a platform to demonstrate impact, encourage peer learning, and outline pathways for sustaining and expanding the reach of the Wiki Afrodemics movement beyond the mentorship period.
- 7. What are the planned activities? (required) Please provide a list of main activities. You can also add a link to the public page for your project where details about your project can be found. Alternatively, you can upload a timeline document. When the activities include partnerships, include details about your partners and planned partnerships.
Planned Activities:
1. Call for Applications:
a. Public announcement of the mentorship program through Wikimedia User Group channels, social media platforms, and partner networks.
b. Selection of qualified applicants from underrepresented African countries with low academic and scientific content on Wikimedia platforms.
2. Participant Onboarding and Orientation:
a. Introduction of 30 selected participants to Wikimedia projects, mentorship structure, and project goals.
3. Mentorship Program:
a. Pairing of participants with experienced facilitators for a three-month rotational mentorship.
b. Hands-on guidance on editing skills, community engagement, and leadership within the Wikimedia ecosystem.
c. A dedicated month on resource mobilization and project sustainability training for the participants.
4. Guided Edit-a-thons:
a. Conduct of a three-month edit-a-thon focused on creating and improving articles and items about African academics and scientists.
b. Continuous supervision and quality review by facilitators to ensure accuracy and compliance with Wikimedia standards.
5. Peer Learning and Knowledge Exchange Sessions:
a. Monthly virtual check-in involving all the participants to share progress, challenges, and success stories.
b. Cross-country collaboration among participants to enhance regional representation.
6. Final Presentation and Showcase:
a. Participants present their learning outcomes, contributions, and proposed future community projects.
b. Recognition of outstanding participants and facilitators.
7. Documentation and Reporting:
a. Compilation of project outcomes, participant feedback, and impact metrics.
b. Publication of a final report on the diff blog for transparency and community engagement.
- 8. Describe your team. Please provide their roles, Wikimedia Usernames and other details. (required) Include more details of the team, including their roles, usernames, Wikimedia group, and whether they are salaried, volunteers, consultants/contractors, etc. Team members involved in the grant application need to be aware of their involvement in the project.
Ibjaja055 is an experienced Wikimedia projects volunteer He was the 2023 Wikimedia User Group Nigeria Editor of the Year. He is a new page reviewer, AfC reviewer and auto-patroller on the English Wikipedia. He has made nearly 30,000 edits across Wikimedia Foundation projects and has created over 300 articles about African Academics and scientists, including good articles. His contributions can be seen here and here.
Roles: The project coordinator and train the participants on resource mobilisation.
FuzzyMagma is an experienced Wikimedia volunteer who has been contributing to Wikimedia and its sister projects for years. He has created close to 300 articles around African academics and scientists. He has over 42,000 edits across Wikimedia Foundation projects and has improved 16 articles to good articles as it can be seen here and [1]
Roles: Wikipedia mentor and will train the participants on presentation skills
Ojewuyib is a fellow of African Wiki Women and an experienced Wikimedia volunterr. She has over 5 thousand edits across Wikimedia platforms and she is going to be the Wikidata trainer and communication officer.
Two experienced volunteer from the French community would also be involved to cater for the French participants.
- 9. Who are the target participants and from which community? How will you engage participants before and during the activities? How will you follow up with participants after the activities? (required)
We are focusing on participants from Africa with priorities from the following countries Chad, DR Congo, Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Seychelles, Malawi, Lesotho, Namibia, South Sudan and Tanzania. This is because our statistical report indicates extreme lack of contents related to African Academics and scientists from the countries. After the project, they will be added to the Wiki Afrodemics Community and they will also be guided on how to mobilise resources for their local initiatives.
- 10. Does your project involve work with children or youth? (required)
Yes
- 10.1. Please provide a link to your Youth Safety Policy. (required) If the proposal indicates direct contact with children or youth, you are required to outline compliance with international and local laws for working with children and youth, and provide a youth safety policy aligned with these laws. Read more here.
[The Youth Safety Policy https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Policy:Friendly_space_policy#Youth_Safety] would be summarised and read at the beginning of each event
- 11. How did you discuss the idea of your project with your community members and/or any relevant groups? Please describe steps taken and provide links to any on-wiki community discussion(s) about the proposal. (required) You need to inform the community and/or group, discuss the project with them, and involve them in planning this proposal. You also need to align the activities with other projects happening in the planned area of implementation to ensure collaboration within the community.
I have informed the Wiki Afrodemics Project Community and other Wikimedia community such as the Wikimedia Congo
- 12. Does your proposal aim to work to bridge any of the content knowledge gaps (Knowledge Inequity)? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)
Content Gender gap
- 13. Does your proposal include any of these areas or thematic focus? Select one option that most applies to your work. (required)
Education
- 14. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities? Select one option that most apply to your work. (required)
Geographic
- 15. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select one that most applies. (required)
Invest in Skills and Leadership Development
Learning and metrics
[edit]- 17. What do you hope to learn from your work in this project or proposal? (required)
Did the project Onboard 30 participants?
Did the project provide mentorships for the participants on WIkipedia and Wikidata?
Did the project provide mentorships for the participants on resource mobilisation and sustainability?
Did the project provide supervised edit-a-thons for participants to confidently edit?
Did the participants showcased their proposed community project?
- 18. What are your Wikimedia project targets in numbers (metrics)? (required)
| Other Metrics | Target | Optional description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 36 | This is a total number of the participants and the organisers |
| Number of editors | 30 | 15 editors from the anglophone countries and 15 editors from the francophone countries. |
| Number of organizers | 5 | 3 from anglophone countries and two from francophone countries |
| Wikimedia project | Number of content created or improved |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 1350 |
| Wikimedia Commons | |
| Wikidata | 1350 |
| Wiktionary | |
| Wikisource | |
| Wikimedia Incubator | |
| Translatewiki | |
| MediaWiki | |
| Wikiquote | |
| Wikivoyage | |
| Wikibooks | |
| Wikiversity | |
| Wikinews | |
| Wikispecies | |
| Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia |
- Optional description for content contributions.
Each participant improved 15 Wikipedia articles and Wikidata items per month; with 30 participants over a three-month period, this amounts to a total of 1,350 improvements.
- 19. Do you have any other project targets in numbers (metrics)? (optional)
No
| Main Open Metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
- 20. What tools would you use to measure each metrics? Please refer to the guide for a list of tools. You can also write that you are not sure and need support. (required)
Event Dashboard and event registration tool
Financial proposal
[edit]- 21. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it. (required)
- 22. and 22.1. What is the amount you are requesting for this proposal? Please provide the amount in your local currency. (required)
7094929.05 NGN
- 22.2. Convert the amount requested into USD using the Oanda converter. This is done only to help you assess the USD equivalent of the requested amount. Your request should be between 500 - 5,000 USD.
4999.95 USD
- We/I have read the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.
Yes
Endorsements and Feedback
[edit]Please add endorsements and feedback to the grant discussion page only. Endorsements added here will be removed automatically.
Community members are invited to share meaningful feedback on the proposal and include reasons why they endorse the proposal. Consider the following:
- Stating why the proposal is important for the communities involved and why they think the strategies chosen will achieve the results that are expected.
- Highlighting any aspects they think are particularly well developed: for instance, the strategies and activities proposed, the levels of community engagement, outreach to underrepresented groups, addressing knowledge gaps, partnerships, the overall budget and learning and evaluation section of the proposal, etc.
- Highlighting if the proposal focuses on any interesting research, learning or innovation, etc. Also if it builds on learning from past proposals developed by the individual or organization, or other Wikimedia communities.
- Analyzing if the proposal is going to contribute in any way to important developments around specific Wikimedia projects or Movement Strategy.
- Analysing if the proposal is coherent in terms of the objectives, strategies, budget, and expected results (metrics).