Grants talk:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Conference Fund/WikiIndaba Republic of Congo 2025

Feedback on the Proposal for WikiIndaba 2025

Hello everyone,

Thank you for submitting the proposal for WikiIndaba 2025. This conference is a vital gathering for African Wikimedians, fostering collaboration, mentorship, and advocacy for Wikimedia communities across the continent and the diaspora. Below are our observations and recommendations based on a thorough review of the proposal, incorporating feedback from my colleagues.

Objectives, Focus, and Target Audience

The proposal presents clear objectives aligned with the Wikimedia 2030 Strategy, with a strong focus on:

• Strengthening collaboration among African Wikimedians
• Capacity building, networking, and mentorship
• Elevating underrepresented voices in the movement
• Advocacy and education

The proposal effectively reflects community needs, particularly through survey responses, which highlight a strong demand for networking and mentorship programs (90.2% of respondents). However, more clarity is needed on how these objectives will be implemented within the program structure. For example, how will mentorship programs be designed and sustained beyond the conference? The WikiIndaba program team must be robust enough to incorporate the identified needs effectively.

The target audience is diverse, with 60% experienced editors and 40% new editors. However, the minimum requirement of 50 edits for participation seems quite low for an event of this scale. Given previous discussions on refining participant selection criteria, it would be helpful to clarify the rationale for including newcomers at this level and how they will engage meaningfully beyond networking.

Additionally, the proposal lacks a strong connection between the host affiliate’s ongoing work and the conference objectives. As an emerging group, how does Wikimedia Republic of Congo see this event contributing to its long-term strategic development?

The proposal mentions "Advocacy" as a conference topic. What specific advocacy themes will the conference focus on?

Event Organization and Capacity

The Wikimedia Republic of Congo is an emerging user group with experience organizing local Wikimedia events. However, this will be their first time hosting an event of this scale. While enthusiasm and commitment are evident, capacity concerns must be addressed:

• The organizing team will need strong support from WISCOM (WikiIndaba Steering Committee) to ensure the event’s success. WISCOM’s involvement should be clearly structured.
• The proposal does not mention strong local partnerships in Brazzaville. Establishing these could enhance programmatic impact and support logistical needs.

Given the limited event management experience of the host team, we strongly recommend:

• Hands-on guidance from WMF staff and WISCOM members throughout the planning process.
• Connecting with previous WikiIndaba hosts to benefit from their learnings.
• Developing a risk management framework to proactively address potential challenges.

Key Areas for Improvement

1. Budget Considerations

The requested budget ($288,472) is significantly higher than previous WikiIndaba events. This increase is largely due to the choice of Brazzaville, which may have limited and/or expensive services compared to other locations. Given this, we strongly encourage a thorough review of the budget to identify cost-saving opportunities. Reducing the total number of participants (from 150 to 100) may be the most viable way to manage costs effectively.

Further budget-related comments:

• Is the price for accommodation and meeting space at Pefaco Hôtel based on an actual quote?
• Flight schedules suggest that at least 15 additional room nights should be budgeted for early arrivals.
• Brazzaville is not a well-connected airport—we recommend budgeting $1,300-$1,500 per international traveler to avoid underestimating travel costs.
• Local airfare: Could you clarify where the local travelers are coming from? Are they all traveling within the Republic of Congo? Should they be handled by WMF as well?
• Dinners (budgeted at $30 per person): Will these be held at the hotel? Is this based on 2024 prices, or has an updated quote been obtained from the hotel?
• Streaming services: Does the streaming budget item cover camera operators, equipment, and streaming services, or is it only partial coverage?
• Interpretation services ($1,765): Is this based on an actual quote?
• Given the relatively strict visa policy of the Republic of Congo, the visa fees appear surprisingly low. What is the rationale behind this? How do you support scholarship recipients in getting their visa?

Additionally, in 2024, WISCOM held a pre-conference meeting before WikiIndaba. Is something similar planned for WikiIndaba 2025? If so, this should be reflected in the program and budget (or mentioned otherwise).

2. Risk Management & Political Context

• Brazzaville itself is stable, but its proximity to Kinshasa (just 10 minutes across the river) poses a potential risk, given the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Political instability, civil unrest, or a coup d’état in Kinshasa could have an impact on Brazzaville. We’re surprised that this risk was not properly addressed.
• Internally at WMF, we have asked our colleagues from the Human Rights team to update our internal risk assessment for Brazzaville. As soon as the update is available, we will share more guidance based on it.
• A risk management framework needs to be established and implemented—WMF staff will assist you with this. A backup location should be identified as a contingency plan, and we are open to working together on this. Having an alternative venue (preferably one used before) would be beneficial in case security concerns escalate.
• Site visits should be conducted before finalizing the venue. WMF staff will support the organizers with this.

3. Strengthening Local Engagement & Partnerships

• Who are the local partners in Brazzaville? The proposal does not list any organizations that will be engaged. Identifying local institutions for collaboration (universities, cultural institutions, or media partners) could add significant value.
• Engagement beyond Africa Baraza: Consider additional engagement formats such as WikiCasserie (discussions) or local affiliate meetups.
• Review your communication channels. Some sections of the website are not connected to the work (e.g., the “latest news” section). This is important for consistency in branding and for partnership-oriented work.

4. Program Structure & Metrics

• The survey results indicate strong community interest in mentorship and networking opportunities. How will these be structured during and after the conference?
• The proposed metrics seem limited—they could be expanded to assess:
  • Effectiveness of programming.
  • Quality of partnerships established.
  • Long-term engagement of participants.

5. Prioritizing a Hybrid Model

Given the very high budget and the need to scale down the event, we strongly suggest prioritizing the hybrid component of the conference, ensuring that virtual participation is well-supported within the budget.

Conclusion

Concluding: With these refinements, WikiIndaba 2025 has the potential to be a valuable and impactful gathering for the African Wikimedia movement. However, as it stands, there are significant challenges that must be addressed to ensure its success.

I kindly ask that you rework the budget, provide more details, and further develop your proposal as suggested, then resubmit it via Fluxx (the proposal is now open for editing). The deadline for submission is February 28, after which the proposal will be reviewed by the volunteer Conference Fund Committee. Please let me know, in case you need more time, and we will work with the committee to adjust the timelines.

Best regards, --Cornelius Kibelka (WMF) (talk to me) 13:49, 20 February 2025 (UTC) (with valuable input from my colleagues)