Hausa Wikimedians User Group/Activities Report 2024
Annual Project Report summary
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This is the annual report of activities of Hausa Wikimedians UserGroup for the project year 2024 which ended on December 31, 2024.
The report outlines major in-person programs organized by the User Group independently or in collaboration with our partners, from January to December 2024. This period covers Hausa Wikimedians UserGroup harmonized financial and Annual project year.
The project implementation is renewal for the 2023 project and so remained largely focused on four key areas we intended to focus in the initial project proposa: (i) content generation and capacity building, (ii) Community building and reducing barriers for participation (iii) Increasing participation and engagement, and (iv) Increasing retention rate. At the conclusion of the project there is a significant improvement in editor participation in our programs compared to previous implementation. In most in-person editing programs and contests we have used dedicated dashboards to capture relevant metrics as linked in the report.
Outreach at HUK Polytechnic
[edit]Program stats on Outreach Dashboard: Event Dashboard ● Files on Commons: Event photos ● External Media Report: Katsina Post news (in Hausa)
As part of our continued efforts to expand the Hausa Wikimedia community especially to educational campuses, the User Group in collaboration with Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic organized an outreach program aimed at creating awareness and recruiting new editors from the college community. The event was held at the Conference Hall ICT Centre of the college on Wednesday, 28th August 2024.
As the majority of the participants have indicated a lack of familiarity with Wikimedia projects and Wikipedia in particular through event registration, the facilitators planned for a foundational orientation session that carefully introduced the participants to the basics of Wikipedia and its sister projects before moving into hands-on training. The program, however, began with an introduction to Wikimedia in general and the User Group's activities in advancing Hausa projects, as well as highlighting their global impact and role in creating and sharing free knowledge.
A practical training session formed the centerpiece of the event. With the support of experienced Hausa Wikimedians, participants were guided step by step through account creation, article editing, basic wikimarkup, and proper referencing. This hands-on experience allowed both students and lecturers to practice contributions during the training and gain confidence in contributing afterwards.
The session concluded with an interactive questions and answers segment, where participants raised questions about editing policies, article quality , and more ways of participating. After lunch break, final practical session took place and Wikipedia-branded jotters and UserGroup souvenirs were distributed to all attendees.
Wikipedia Primer: Editathon
[edit]Program stats on Outreach Dashboard: Event Dashboard ● Files on Commons: Event photos
On Saturday, 9th March 2024, the User Group held an in-person editathon at the Conference Hall of M.A Consult Services. The program was of general audience, attended by both new and experienced editors.
The program began with a welcome address by the lead facilitator, who emphasized the importance of ethical participation in Wikimedia projects and the need to understand how Hausa Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects differ from other sites that allow user contributions. This was followed by an interactive icebreaker session where participants shared their experiences and challenges on wiki.
The main workshop session has two main presentations that explored a wide range of crucial issues that affect the quality and credibility of contributions to Wikipedia project. Particularly on:
- Undisclosed Paid Editing – Participants learned about how editing for payment without disclosure violates Wikimedia policies and undermines trust.
- Neutral Point of View (NPOV) – The session reinforced the need for every Wikipedia article to remain impartial, unbiased and verifiable.
- Conflicts of Interest (COI) – The wider case of COI was explored, particularly how personal, financial, or organizational connections can affect neutrality and credibility.
After the presentations, participants broke into smaller working groups to put the lessons into practice. Each group was tasked with identifying and improving selected Hausa Wikipedia articles by checking for neutrality, adding reliable sources, and raising questions on talk pages where necessary. People also discussed and gave examples of real conflict of interest on topics.
The afternoon after lunch break session was dedicated to practical editing. Contributors worked on creating new articles while others focused on improving existing articles and identifying the relevant issues in the lead presentations.
Nigerian Writers and Academics
[edit]Program stats on Outreach Dashboard: Event Dashboard ● Files on Commons: Event photos
To address the content gap related to Nigerian writers and academics, this program was organized Saturday, 27th April 2024, at the M.A Digital Consult Conference Hall. The event was designed to focus on the creation of new articles and editor skills improvement, but since it was the beginning of the year, additional emphasis was placed on introducing and onboarding new editors into the Hausa Wikimedia community. Parallel sessions were organized in different halls and main training after lunch break in the main hall.
The theme of the edit-a-thon was "Nigerian Writers and Academics", selected to address the content gap on Hausa Wikipedia regarding notable Nigerian intellectuals and literary figures.
To enrich the experience and make the gathering more lively, the event incorporated displays about select notable writers and poetry sessions, which created a welcoming and memorable atmosphere for both new and experienced editors.
One of the challenges faced during the program was network connectivity, particularly with the internet services of the facility that was paid for. While this presented difficulties at various points, participants adapted by working collaboratively with backup routers. Lack of readily available reference materials for some notable writers that were planned to have article during the program also affected the volume of articles created. Despite these obstacles, the edit-a-thon was a success and more than 30 editors created one or more articles with more than 200 articles in total after the program. The program achieved its dual goals of producing new content and expanding the Hausa Wikimedia community with enthusiastic new contributors as many of the participants created their first articles at the program.
WikiLoves Africa Campaign
[edit]Files on Commons: Campaign photos
Between March and April 2024, the User Group participated in the 2024 Wiki Loves Africa International Photography Contest with local edition.
Wiki Loves Africa is a photography contest held annually across the continent to encourage people to contribute media files that showcase the richness, diversity, and beauty of African cultures, heritage, and daily life. The images are freely shared on Wikimedia Commons to support Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects. The UserGroup participated as this aligns with our goal of increasing the diversity of content from African continent to Wikimedia projects.
Prior to the start of the contest, a virtual training session was organized to guide prospective participants on contest rules, copyright expectations, and media upload procedures on Wikimedia Commons. This session was particularly valuable in addressing the concerns of new participants and ensuring compliance with Wikimedia standards. More than 22 participants from the Hausa Community participated in the contest. The pre training session helped greatly in increasing both participation figures and quality of uploads by the contributors.
At the end of the contest and apart from the global prizes, the UserGroup awarded prizes to the top contributors in the contest.
Special Editing Workshop for Newcomers
[edit]Program stats on Outreach Dashboard: Event Dashboard ● Files on Commons: Event photos
Our general Wikimedia events usually attract participants with diverse levels of experience. Some have been editing for years, some are at the intermediate stage, while others are completely new to the Wikimedia movement. In such mixed gatherings, activities often have to be balanced to serve all categories of participants, which can make it challenging to give newcomers the close attention they need. To address this gap, Wikimedia Hausa organized a special Wikipedia editing program exclusively for new users on the last weekend of July 2024.
The primary aim of the program was to provide direct and tailored support to budding contributors to the open knowledge ecosystem. The workshop also sought to connect these new editors with our pool of experienced Wikimedians, ensuring that they not only received technical guidance during the event but also built ongoing mentorship relationships for their Wikimedia journey. To achieve this, participants were divided into cohorts, with each group paired with an expert editor who provided personalized support during the workshop and committed to continued guidance afterwards. This arrangement was designed to complement our existing support structures of community discussion groups and online help channels by offering a more intensive and hands-on learning experience.
The workshop was organized on Sunday, 28th July 2024, at the Lumilab Complex in Katsina. Many of the participants expressed their satisfaction with the new format of the program and indicated they gained more skills than in general-audience programs. For the User Group, the event not only achieved its goal of equipping new editors with practical skills but also strengthened the foundations for sustained participation and helped our strategy of fostering mentorship bonds between diverse users and a sense of belonging among newcomers and experienced community members.
Hausa Culture Editathon
[edit]Program stats on Outreach Dashboard: Event Dashboard ● Files on Commons: Event photos
The edit-a-thon was preceded by a pre-session held a day earlier at the Lumilab Conference Hall. The decision to include a pre-session was made to provide more direct training support for new editors, because of their large number in the event registration, ensuring they were well-prepared to participate actively in the main event.
The main edit-a-thon, themed "Hausa Culture in Nigeria", took place at the Alhujrat Royal Suites Conference Hall on Sunday, 7th July 2024. This edition was unique in its approach, as we introduced the recognition of a Local Editor of the Month, celebrating and motivating consistent contributors within the community. The event also featured a roundtable discussion where members shared their experiences and provided feedback on their involvement in upcoming programs, including the then-upcoming WikiConference Nigeria.
The gathering was honored by the presence of notable personalities, including an academics from Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, who pledged to support the User Group in fostering collaboration between the Wikimedia community and the University in future activities.
35 editors participated in the practical session for article creation and collectively created more than 300 articles. The edit-a-thon was quite productive in terms of content contributions and also impactful in community building, and plans of forging new institutional partnerships for the growth of the UserGroup's activities.
International Translation Day
[edit]Program stats on Outreach Dashboard: Event Dashboard ● Files on Commons: Event photos
To commemorate International Translation Day 2024, the Hausa Wikimedians User Group organized and conducted a special workshop on Sunday, 29th September 2024, dedicated to equipping members with practical skills in using the Wikipedia ContentTranslation Tool. The tool allows contributors to translate articles from one language to another, thereby expanding access to knowledge across different languages.
The event was both a celebration and a training opportunity. The program opened with brief introductions, giving participants a chance to connect and share their Wikimedia experiences around both online offline translation as well as in using English Wikipedia in expanding content of smaller wikis. This was followed by a short talk on the tool and translation on Wikipeia. In the lead facilitator's presentation, he explained the origins of the Wikimedia translation tool, highlighted the role of the Foundation in its development, and shared impressive statistics about the number of articles that have been created worldwide using the tool.
The main training session began with a step-by-step practical guide for using the tool. Participants were walked through the process of accessing and using the tool effectively. Limitations and certain eligibility criteria for editors to activate it as well as useful tips for producing high-quality translations were also explained.
To maximize learning, each participant was asked to select an article of personal interest and attempt translating it concurrently with the facilitator. This hands-on approach allowed them to practice in real time, ask questions, and immediately apply the skills they were acquiring. By the end of the workshop, participants had translated several articles into Hausa, directly contributing to the growth of Hausa Wikipedia while also gaining practical confidence in using the translation tool.
The celebration of International Translation Day through this workshop highlighted the critical role of translation in bridging knowledge gaps and advancing linguistic diversity on Wikipedia. For the Hausa Wikimedia community, the event not only expanded content in the Hausa language but also deepened participants’ appreciation of translation as a tool for knowledge equity.
ContentTranslation Tool Follow-up Workshop
[edit]Program stats on Outreach Dashboard: Event Dashboard ● Files on Commons: Event photos
The follow-up program was specifically organized to provide participants with advanced training in the use of the ContentTranslation Tool, building on earlier workshops and addressing the needs of both new and experienced editors that were in need of more training. The event took place on Sunday, 27th October 2024, at the Conference Hall of Alhujrat Royal Suites.
During the program, participants engaged in a wide range of activities with regard to the use of the translation tool to translate articles individually and collaboratively with other editors.
After lunch break the program focused on gathering on-the-spot feedback and reflections from editors about their experiences using the translation tool. This exchange of perspectives provided valuable insight into the challenges and opportunities associated with the tool, helping the facilitators better understand how to support editors in future programs and also anwered questions and provided clarifications..
The article creation session followed. Participants worked on translating and creating articles, while facilitators offered assistance to ensure that newcomers could gain more practical experience. After a productive editing session, the event concluded with a final presentation, group photographs and departure.
Wikipedia Pages Wanting Photos 2024
[edit]Further details: Gasar WPWP 2024 A Hausa Wikipedia (in Hausa) ● Hashtag tool: Hausa WPWP Stats ● Files on Commons: Event photos
In July, the Hausa Wikimedians User Group launched the local edition of the international Wikipedia Pages Wanting Photos (WPWP) Campaign. The campaign aims to promote the addition of relevant images to Wikipedia articles in Hausa that currently lack photos, thereby improving both the quality and relevance of content for readers.
Thousands of images have been contributed to Wikimedia Commons over the years through diverse initiatives such as advocacy programs, photowalks, and international photography contests like Wiki Loves Monuments, Wiki Loves Africa, Wiki Loves Earth, and Wiki Loves Folklore. However, while these contests have successfully generated large numbers of high-quality photographs, the integration of those images into relevant Wikipedia articles has often lagged behind. The WPWP campaign was designed to bridge this gap, ensuring that available images are effectively used to illustrate and enrich knowledge across Wikimedia platforms.
To prepare our members for effective participation, the Hausa Wikimedians User Group organized a series of pre-contest training workshops that helped editors to better understand the aim of the campaign and acquait them with the use of the WPWP campaign dashboard and the process of adding images to articles. These sessions also emphasized quality and contextual contributions to encourage members not only to add images but to ensure they were contextually relevant, properly attributed, and compliant with local project guidelines.
Over 40 Hausa Wikimedia community members participated in the contest and contributed one or more photos/media files to more than 13,000 Hausa Wikipedia articles.
At the end of the campaign in September, special award ceremony was organized where prizes were presented to the top contributors in recognition of their efforts.
Capacity Building Workshop
[edit]Files on Commons: Event photos
On Tuesday, 27th August 2024, the Hausa Wikimedians User Group organized a special Capacity Building Workshop at the Lumilab Complex. The program aim was twofold: to enhance the technical skills of existing experienced editors and to foster stronger bonds within the community through collaboration and peer learning.
The lead faciliator presented on the importance of continuous learning and skill enhancement in sustaining the Wikimedia movement. He emphasized that as the community grows in size and impact and technology evolves, there is a greater need for editors to stay up to date with new tools, policies, and best practices in contributing to Hausa Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects.
The first session also introduced participants to advanced editing and Wikimarkup techniques, including how to improve article structure, apply proper citation styles, and use templates effectively. Special attention was given to Hausa Wikipedia’s evolving guidelines development such as inclusion criteria, with facilitators walking participants through practical examples of how to assess whether a topic qualifies for inclusion on Wikipedia and how to sources for references particurlarly in Hausa.
The afternoon session shifted focus towards community engagement and collaboration. A roundtable discussion was held on how to sustain editor motivation, address challenges of editor attrition, and encourage diversity and inclusion within the Hausa Wikimedia community. Participants shared personal experiences, including difficulties they faced while editing and how peer support could help overcome these challenges.
One of the highlights of the workshop was a mentorship pairing exercise, where newer editors were assigned experienced mentors who would continue to guide them beyond the event. This initiative was well-received, with participants expressing that direct access to mentors will boost their confidence in contributing regularly and effectively.
Improving Articles About History
[edit]Program stats on Outreach Dashboard: Event Dashboard ● Files on Commons: Event photos
On Sunday, 11th August 2024, the User Group organized its Wikipedia editing workshop at the Conference Hall of Alhujrat Royal Suites to create and improve articles about History on Hausa Wikipedia. The event began early in the morning with the arrival of participants, including a remarkable number of new editors who had created their accounts only a day earlier during a special pre-Workshop session which was organized by the UserGroup. Their return so soon after onboarding demonstrated both motivation and commitment to participation in Wikimedia activities.
Given the increased number of participants, organizers divided attendees into smaller groups in the initial session and paired them with experienced volunteers. This arrangement provided new editors with more direct interaction with facilitators and created space for in-depth, personalized support in learning the basics of article creation, improvement and participation in collaborative editing.
The second facilitator presented on the importance of reliable sourcing and accurate referencing was emphasized, reminding editors that verifiability is central to maintaining the credibility of Hausa Wikipedia and all Wikimedia educational projects in general.
To make the program more efficient, the organizers also introduced a new registration system. Instead of participants waiting in long queues, a volunteer assisted individuals with registration directly. This improvement saved significant time and allowed more focus on the workshop activities.
The event concluded on a celebratory note, as the community congratulated members who had received scholarships to attend WikiConference Nigeria in September 2024. Their achievement was recognized as a milestone for the Hausa Wikimedia community, inspiring others to continue contributing actively.
Women Articles Editathon
[edit]Program stats on Outreach Dashboard: Event Dashboard ● Files on Commons: Event photos
The editathon on Women articles was organized on Sunday, 26th May 2024, at the Conference Hall of S-Cafe Center. The editathon was designed not only as a session for editing and creating articles about Women but also as an opportunity to reflect on the community’s mission and long-term goals. The day featured multiple speeches from community leaders, who reminded participants of the importance of contributing to Hausa Wikipedia as a way of preserving knowledge and promoting the Hausa language in the digital space. Members also engaged in a feedback session, sharing their experiences, challenges, and ideas for strengthening the User Group’s activities.
A special highlight of the event was the announcement regarding computers gifted by Wikimedia Deutschland to some members of the group, that was brought by our representative at Wikimedia Summit in Berlin. This generous contribution by Wikimedia Deutschland was warmly acknowledged, participants and beneficiaries were all grateful for the support.
After the practical editing session, and to recognize and encourage dedication, the organizers identified one of the most active and committed editors during the editathon and awarded them a router and branded User Group souvenirs as a gift to support their continued contributions.
Wikipedia Awareness Project
[edit]Program stats on Outreach Dashboard: Event Dashboard ● Files on Commons: Event photos
On Sunday, 8th September 2024, the User Group organized a special Wikipedia Awareness training, aimed at introducing new non-community members from Wikimedia projects and raising awareness of the value of contributing to open knowledge. The training provided an entry point for students, educators, and professionals who were unfamiliar with Wikipedia volunteer contribution but were eager to learn how to participate in the free knowledge movement. Participants were selected from the response pool of the survey shared earlier, specifically to target those without accounts or no contributions at all.
The session began with a welcome address from the lead facilitator, who outlined the mission of Wikimedia in general and the specific objectives of the Hausa Wikimedians User Group. Participants were then introduced to Wikipedia, highlighting its role as one of the world’s largest collaborative projects and a cornerstone of free knowledge.
A demonstration session followed, where facilitators guided attendees to create accounts and showed them how articles are created and improved on Wikipedia. Although the event was not a full hands-on training, participants observed practical steps in account creation, editing basics, and referencing. This helped to demystify the process and encourage them to see editing as something within their reach and a worthwhile thing to do.
The training also provided a platform for discussion and reflection. Participants shared their perceptions of Wikipedia prior to the event, and many expressed surprise at learning that anyone can contribute, provided they follow the local project guidelines. Other facilitators gave presentations on the importance of having Hausa language content represented online to close the content gap, as well as how participants can play a role in ensuring free knowledge remains accurate and useful for now and the perpetual future.
Biography Editathon
[edit]Program stats on Outreach Dashboard: Event Dashboard ● Files on Commons: Event photos
As part of our ongoing editing initiatives, the User Group held an in-person program in November focused on creating and enhancing biographical content on Hausa Wikipedia. The event took place on Sunday, 17th November 2024 at the Lumilab Complex.
Unlike introductory workshops for a general audience, this training was designed specifically for contributors with prior experience editing Hausa Wikipedia or other Wikimedia projects. The sessions proved highly productive, with participants working on both the creation and improvement of biographical articles.
The workshop opened with a detailed presentation by the lead facilitator, who spoke about key principles of writing biographies on Wikipedia as well as special considerations on biographies of living persons. The lead presentation also covered notability guidelines, reliable sourcing, and the necessity of maintaining a neutral point of view. The discussion also featured input from participants, who shared personal methods for researching and developing quality articles on Hausa Wikipedia. This interactive format helped create a collaborative learning atmosphere, which proved beneficial for practical editing tasks.
Following the presentations, attendees engaged in hands-on editing, each choosing their own biography-related topics to work on.
By the end of the program practical editing session, more than 400 new articles were created, and many more existing articles were improved, and a total of over 3,600 edits were made on Hausa Wikipedia. According to the Outreach Dashboard, 27 editors registered and participated in the editing session.
The editathon strengthened the quantity and quality of Hausa Wikipedia’s biographical content and helped the participating community members to improve their editing skills.
Consolidating Knowledge: Editathon
[edit]● Files on Commons: Event photos
The end of year program was organized on Thursday, 26th December 2024 to bring together members of the community for reflection, learning, and collaborative editing. The event was both a celebration of achievements made throughout the project year and avenue to strengthen the spirit of teamwork as we prepared for the new year ahead.
The program opened with a retreat session where facilitators guided participants through a review of the group’s activities in the preceding months, challenges, and lessons learned. Members reflected on the progress made in expanding Hausa Wikipedia content, the growth of the editor community, the impact of outreach programs and individual personal experiences. This reflective exercise also gave participants the opportunity to propose fresh ideas and strategies for 2025, ensuring that community voices were heard in shaping future directions.
Following the retreat discussions, the event transitioned into an editathon with the theme Consolidating Knowledge. Participants were encouraged to focus on improving any underrepresented topics on Hausa Wikipedia, including articles in history, culture, and biography.
The program also served as a bonding activity, fostering stronger relationships among members. New-ish editors connected with experienced ones, building mentorship ties and learning contributing tips. The collaborative atmosphere was further enriched by informal networking and team-building activities included in the retreat segment.
The retreat concluded with a note of appreciation to volunteers and contributors for their dedication throughout the year, alongside words of encouragement to carry the momentum into 2025.
WikiConference Nigeria
[edit]The Hausa Wikimedians User Group participated in WikiConference Nigeria 2024 as a partnering organization together with other Nigerian affiliates, marking a significant milestone in our continued engagement with the broader Wikimedia community in the country. Our delegation included over 15 editors who received scholarships to attend, alongside six other organizers from the User Group’s team.
Several of our members also contributed to the planning and delivery of the event, including on the conference organizing team and communications team.
In addition to organizational roles, members of our User Group made contributions to the deliberations of the conference. A number of our community members presented papers that showcased both the achievements and challenges of the Hausa Wikimedia community. One member delivered a presentation titled "New Wikipedia Editors in the Hausa Community: Our Challenges and the Way Forward", which explored barriers faced by newcomers and strategies for sustaining editor retention. Another presented a paper on "The Impact of Technology on Wikipedia," reflecting on how technological tools and innovations are shaping content creation and community participation. There was also a presentation on topics relevant to Hausa Wikimedia projects and other small and medium wiki communities.
The Hausa Wikimedians’ participation in WikiConference Nigeria 2024 not only provided visibility for our ongoing work but also strengthened our networks, created opportunities for collaboration with other User Groups and affiliates as well as individual community members, and inspired members to take on new initiatives.
